Chinese Ambassador Makes Bizarre Remarks About Falling Western Birthrates
Jose Nino
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On July 22, 2020, Zhao Yongchen, the Chinese Ambassador of Grenada, made some very bizarre remarks on Twitter.
He tweeted, “(1/2）For more than 30 years, the birth rate of whites in the US and Britain has continued to decline, and the problem has became more and more serious. Could it be that these countries are also pursuing a policy of genocide of white people? Absolutely not!”
（1/2）For more than 30 years, the birth rate of whites in the US and Britain has continued to decline, and the problem has became more and more serious.Could it be that these countries are also pursuing a policy of genocide of white people? Absolutely not！
— ZHAO Yongchen (@DrZhaoyongchen) July 22, 2020
The ambassador added, “(2/2)Some Western media spread fake news that China’s forced sterilization of Uyghur women in Xinjiang has led to a decline in the Uyghur’s birth rate, which is an act of genocide. Nonsense! In fact, the Uyghur population now has 11 million, which is twice that of 40 years ago.”
(2/2)Some Western media spread fake news that China’s forced sterilization of Uyghur women in Xinjiang has led to a decline in the Uyghur’s birth rate, which is an act of genocide. Nonsense! In fact, the Uyghur population now has 11 million, which is twice that of 40 years ago.
— ZHAO Yongchen (@DrZhaoyongchen) July 22, 2020
Indeed, the U.S. has witnessed a notable decline in white birthrates in the last few decades. The White (non-Hispanic) birth rate was at 1.64 births per women in 2018, according to a Statista report. This is well below the replacement rate of 2.1. According to Statista, the average birth rate was approximately 1.73 children per woman.
However, none of these numbers suggest a deliberate policy of “genocide” by the U.S. government. American birthrates are in line with the rest of the developed world, which has experienced a similar trend of decline in recent decades.
In the Chinese case, the Uyghurs are a group that China’s Han majority has tried to integrate over the years. The story of the development of the Han Chinese state is one of expansion from the Yellow River to its present-day landmass. Along the way, the Chinese have clashed with minority ethnic groups such as the Uyghurs and Tibetans.
To this day, China has worked diligently to re-educate Uyghurs and fully integrate them, albeit through very controversial means such as putting them in detention centers.
This demonstrates that the country still remains authoritarian and should not be treated as a normal trading partner, let alone ally.
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