Contrary to the rumors spread by Western anti-China forces about the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the legitimate rights of people in Xinjiang have been protected in accordance with the law, the region's Party secretary said.

In addition, human rights protection will be further improved in Xinjiang in the future, as the regional government has attached great importance to strengthening law-based governance, said Ma Xingrui, secretary of the Communist Party of China Xinjiang Regional Committee.

Ma made the remark in the region's capital, Urumqi, at a news conference on Saturday on Xinjiang's achievements in the past decade.

In recent years, the Chinese government has stated on many occasions that some Western anti-China forces have been making up lies about Xinjiang, including using "forced labor" and committing "genocide", and raised so-called "human rights" concerns. Based on such groundless claims, some countries, such as the United States, have introduced a series of sanctions targeting promising industries in the region.

"By following the country's path of human rights protection, the legitimate human rights of people from all ethnic groups in Xinjiang can be well protected," Ma said in his first major public appearance before the media after becoming the region's Party secretary in December. He is a former governor of Guangdong province.

Furthermore, the law-based approach to fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism will be enhanced, he said. Thanks to a series of measures implemented in recent years, the region, which had frequently been hit by terrorist attacks for a period of time, has reported no terrorist incidents for more than five years.

"Law-based, routine and professional measures will be put in place to strike hard against terrorist, separatist and extremist activities, especially to target their root causes," Ma said.

Determined to promote law-based governance, Xinjiang introduced key points for building law-ruled governments earlier this year. In addition, local officials have been required to better study the laws, he added.

Ma said that Xinjiang has entered a new and key era for development that requires the modernization of governance systems and capacity.

"Xinjiang must catch up in modernizing the governance systems and capacity. We also urgently need to improve the officials' administrative skills," he said. "Xinjiang cannot lag behind in China's journey toward building a modern socialist country in all respects."

Meanwhile, Xinjiang must balance the relationship between development and stability, as well as COVID-19 epidemic control and economic development.

"Improved systemic theories and measures must be in place to achieve the overall goal of Xinjiang: achieving social stability and long-term peace," Ma said.