Foreign news
Xinjiang Officials, Cotton Farmers Dismiss Forced Labor Allegations
In a recent paper, German author Adrian Zenz accused Chinese authorities of forcing hundreds of thousands of Uygurs to pick cotton. But local farmers dismissed the allegations on Thursday, saying the claims have caused them to suffer economic losses.
As a cotton farmer from the city of Kuqa in Aksu Prefecture, Mijit Timit owns 200,000 square meters of farmland, generating an annual income of about 150,000 yuan ($23,069).
Several years back, he hired people from either Xinjiang or other parts of China to pick cotton when his family was short-handed during the harvest season. But now, he uses machines, which he says are more efficient and cost less.
Mijit said picking cotton is a well-paid job, and that’s why migrant workers go all the way to Xinjiang during the harvest season.
“We’re earning money by harvesting the cotton we grow ourselves. How can you call that ‘forced labor?'” said Mijit. “The cotton pickers we used to hire could earn about 10,000 yuan in two months. Many people rushed to do the work. We don’t need to force them.”
Cotton picking used to be a popular job for migrant workers from other provinces, such as Henan and Sichuan, according to Xu Guixiang, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Xu said local employers would pay them high salaries and provide free meals and accommodation, adding that their rights were also guaranteed.
“These cotton pickers sign labor contracts with employers and receive legal payment in accordance with China’s labor law and regulations. In recent years, the number of such cotton pickers from other provinces has decreased because the income of the rural labor force has been increasing in inland areas of China,” said Xu.
He added that with the development of technology, cotton production has been highly mechanized in Xinjiang, so even in the busy harvest season, there is no need for a large number of cotton pickers.
According to officials, about 95 percent of cotton in northern Xinjiang was harvested by machines last year.
Xu said as Adrian Zenz’s “forced labor” claim has caused some countries to decrease or even stop importing cotton products from Xinjiang, some local individuals and enterprises are now suing the German author for economic losses and damaging their reputation.
Foreign news
NTAC Hails Tinubu; Volunteers Ready to Positively Impact Nigerians
Joel Ajayi
The Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC) has commended President Bola Tinubu for funding the Technical Aid Corps (TAC) Scheme.
The Director General (DG) of NTAC , Dr Yusuf Yakub, made the commendation during a ceremony to receive five returning TAC volunteers from Zanzibar, Tanzania on Tuesday in Abuja.
The returning volunteers also expressed readiness to impact knowledge gained from participating in the programme on Nigerians.
TAC is a mechanism for Nigeria’s foreign aid and technical assistance to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries through the use of Nigeria’s abundant trained manpower.
Yakub lauded Tinubu’s visionary leadership and steadfast support for the TAC Scheme.
Welcoming the volunteers who had discharged themselves as worthy ambassadors in Zanzibar, the D-G thanked them for their patriotism, dedication to service and for making Nigeria proud on the international arena.
The NTAC boss highlighted the importance of knowledge-sharing, while announcing that certificates of completion will be presented to the volunteers in line with the noble objectives of the service.
He also emphasised the volunteers’ crucial role in passing on the skills and experiences gained in Zanzibar.
He expressed optimism that their efforts would positively impact the lives of Nigerians across the country and shape the expectations and service-delivery of future prospective volunteers.
Earlier speaking, Amb. Zakari Usman, the Director of Programmes for NTAC, expressed gratitude to the D-G for his unwavering support and provision for the volunteers throughout their service period.
He said that the volunteers had so delivered on the mandate of the agency that citizens of Zanzibar did not want them to leave their country.
Popoola Adegoke, the Team Lead and a Mathematics Instructor for the batch of returning volunteers, was full of gratitude to the Federal Government for providing them the opportunity to participate in the scheme.
Adegoke said that Nigeria, was well blessed and had the abundance of both human and natural resources to contribute meaningfully to the development of many countries of the world.
He said that the need to continue the TAC Scheme was not negotiable, owing to its high impact and results.
Mohammed Salisu, a Physicist, said that the experience had broadened his horizon as his orientation during the last 24 months in Zanzibar, especially on the cultural exchange.
He lauded the government for the scheme, saying that Nigeria is seen and perceived to be higher in all ranking, especially in the standard of living and educational system.
He also appealed to the government to sustain the scheme to close the gaps both the educational and professional systems in the African, Caribbean and the Pacific Countries.
NAN
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