“I’m dreaming,” the California mayor said during a visit to an area in China allegedly linked to slave labor practices and human rights abuses.
Dr. Paul Courtney, Mayor of Barstow, California, expressed his excitement to be participating in the 8th China Eurasia Expo, which began in Xinjiang, China last week, saying: media He said he was eager to expand U.S.-China relations and try the region’s “original barbecue.” The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is credibly accused of committing crimes against humanity against Muslim groups in Xinjiang, including imprisoning them in mass internment camps, forcing them into slave labor and committing “genocide.” (Related article: US intelligence agencies reveal that China committed numerous human rights violations last year)
“Hello, Xinjiang. I’m happy to be here,” Courtney told Chinese state media in an interview at the China Eurasia Expo on Monday. “It’s an honor to be here. I’m living the dream.”
“I’m looking for that original barbecue,” he told a national media reporter as he spoke with other guests about the area’s food. “I’ve heard about the melons. I’ve heard they’re the best melons ever… I’m happy to be here.”
Courtney explained that he visited the region to bridge the gap amid “tensions” between the United States and China, calling it a “win-win for all of us.” The relationship between the United States and China is highly complex and fragile, and is at times roiled by differences over military, political and economic practices. President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November to try to repair ties, but Beijing still routinely interferes in U.S. affairs.
How do Americans see it? #XinjiangFriends of the Consular District, including Dr. Paul Courtney, Mayor of Barstow, California, and representatives from the U.S.-China E-Commerce Chamber of Commerce, attended the 8th China-Eurasia Expo in Xinjiang. We look forward to building more business and cultural bridges… pic.twitter.com/48rxhVoVHl
— Guo Shaochun (@CG_GuoShaochun) July 1, 2024
China On a daily basis Claim They maintain that cases of human rights abuses against Uighurs in Xinjiang are false or fabricated, despite the U.S. presenting credible evidence over the years. government The country practices severe discrimination and abuse against religious minority groups: More than one million Uighurs and other Muslim ethnic groups have been detained in internment or detention centers since 2017, according to State Department statistics. report He noted that since June, some estimates have put the number at more than 3 million.
The State Department said there have been numerous reports of people dying under harsh conditions in these camps, including medical neglect, torture and forced sterilizations. There have also been reports of forced labor in the camps in Xinjiang.
According to the State Department report, Chinese Communist Party officials conducted household searches across the region and used sophisticated surveillance techniques to ensure that families were not practicing or observing religious traditions such as Ramadan, and in some cases, neighbors were encouraged or required to spy on each other.
“first time [to China]”I’ve heard so much about it – it’s grand, it’s big, it’s exciting, manufacturing and all that – and I really hope that this will create new relationships with China itself and the region,” Courtney said Monday, referring to the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
Other California officials have visited China or met with Chinese officials in recent years. San Francisco Mayor London Breed dined with Chinese Communist Party operatives in China in April, according to a previous review of public records by the Daily Caller News Foundation. California Governor Gavin Newsom traveled to Beijing in late 2023 and met privately with Chinese President Xi Jinping, following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Governor Jerry Brown. visited China a few years ago.
Courtney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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