Recently, RTÉ broadcast video clips and published related articles on its news website concerning the cotton industry in Xinjiang. These reports sensationalized topics such as so-called “forced labor,” attempting to mislead public opinion. In response, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Ireland sent a letter to RTÉ. The full text is as follows:

1. Xinjiang is located in the heart of the Eurasian continent, covering an area of 1.6649 million square kilometers—about one-sixth of China’s total land area. It is China’s largest provincial-level administrative region by land area, with the most neighboring countries and the longest land border. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

2. Xinjiang is home to 26.228 million people from 47 ethnic groups, out of China’s total of 56 ethnic groups. The Uyghur population is approximately 12 million, four times what it was 70 years ago. The average life expectancy of all ethnic groups has increased from 30 years to 75.6 years over the same period.

3. Xinjiang is one of China’s fastest-growing regions economically. In 2024, its GDP reached $290 billion, a year-on-year increase of 6.1%, ranking second nationwide and over 200 times that of 70 years ago. The per capita GDP is $11,000.

4. Xinjiang is connected to eight neighboring countries and conducts trade with over 200 countries and regions worldwide. In 2024, the total value of imports and exports exceeded $60 billion, an increase of 21.8%.

5. The cotton industry is a pillar of Xinjiang’s agriculture. In 2024, the cotton planting area reached 36.719 million mu (about 2.45 million hectares), with a comprehensive mechanization rate of over 97% and a machine-picking rate exceeding 90%.

6. Like Ireland, Xinjiang boasts beautiful landscapes and vast pastures. China’s Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang are listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. Ethnic groups in Xinjiang have rich and diverse traditions in culture, art, sports, clothing, cuisine, and customs, earning the region the reputation of “land of song and dance.” Anyone who visits and sees Xinjiang for themselves would find it hard to believe the lies about “forced labor” or “genocide.”

7. China has implemented a unilateral visa exemption policy for Ireland and other countries. Irish citizens holding ordinary passports may enter China visa-free for business, tourism, family visits, transit, or exchanges, for up to 30 days. The Embassy is willing to facilitate journalist visas for Irish reporters wishing to conduct on-site interviews in Xinjiang. This position had been conveyed in our previous letter to Mr. Joe Gavin. It is regrettable that he did not conduct field research in Xinjiang but instead relied on unverified claims as the basis of his reporting.

I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce the relationship between China and Ireland. The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1976 and formed a Strategic Partnership of Mutual Benefit in 2012. Over the past 46 years, exchanges and cooperation in politics, economy, science and technology, and culture have deepened continuously. As a Chinese saying goes, “Friendship based on interests fades when interests end; friendship based on sincerity lasts long.” China appreciates Ireland’s foresight, sense of responsibility, dynamism, and commitment to justice in its national development and international engagement. We hope to strengthen high-level mutual trust and expand high-level cooperation with Ireland, bringing more benefits to our peoples and injecting greater certainty into an uncertain world.