As Northwest China’s Xinjiang region entered spring planting season in early April, thousands of Chinese netizens have been enjoying watching livestreaming videos of roaring machines busying in planting cotton with assistance of high-technologies in the vast land of the region. Many wish to invite foreigners and US lawmakers to join them so that next time they will make less untenable lies to hype the so-called forced labor in Xinjiang.
On Wednesday, the Global Times held a live streaming joint with China Telecom and Aksu Prefecture, and as of press time, more than 1 million netizens have visited the Sina Weibo platform to see planting machines working in the field of 2,200 mu (147 hectares). There are four machines for plowing, two for spraying insecticide and four for planting. All the work can be accomplished within four days, but without machines, it needs 300 workers to work for 15 continuous days.
Some netizens praised the splendid views of agricultural modernization, saying “I am watching the planting of my new clothes!” And many made jokes saying that perhaps the US Embassy will tweet that China is forcing machines to work.
Recently, in response to US’ groundless accusations of forced labor in Xinjiang, the Chinese people have been leaving comments on various social media platforms inviting foreigners and US lawmakers in particular to go and visit Xinjiang.
The US has not stopped hyping the so-called forced labor allegations related to Xinjiang. The latest farce is a public hearing, as required by the “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act,” on the use of “forced labor” in China and measures to prevent the importation of goods with “forced labor” in China into the US on April 8, according to the US Homeland Security. The Xinjiang regional spokesperson criticized the so-called hearings as “hypocritical” and “absurd.”
A total of 37 million mu of cotton are predicted to be planted in Xinjiang this year. Aside from machines, more high-tech equipment have been applied to facilitate the planting, for example unmanned machines guided by the Beidou Satellite have been used in some villages and new planting models have been used in Shawan of Tacheng Prefecture to improve per unit output. The total mechanization rate in plowing and cotton planting and harvesting in Xinjiang currently exceeds 80 percent, the Global Times learned from relevant departments in the region.
Facts speak louder than words. Chinese netizens and analysts said that the wider livestreaming of cotton planting in Xinjiang is an epitome of the industrialization of agriculture in the region and also a slap in the face of those who are lying through their teeth.
Xinjiang cotton Photo: VCG
