The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has been free of violence for five consecutive years, and the local people live and work in peace, Xiao Han, China's ambassador to Senegal, said on Wednesday in response to accusations of concentration camps and genocide against the region.

Xiao made the remarks during an online conference jointly held by the Chinese Embassy in Senegal and the Xinjiang regional government. The conference was held to discuss the reality of the situation in the region and was attended by more than 20 Senegalese scholars, journalists and politicians via video link.

Xiao said there has been a lot of negative news in recent years, with reports about so-called concentration camps, genocide, forced labor and forced sterilization in Xinjiang. He said these stories were fabricated by anti-Chinese media in the West.

"On the one hand, they complain that the Chinese government does not allow them to go to Xinjiang, but on the other hand, they tell stories as if they had seen things with their own eyes," he said.

Xiao noted that since the 1990s, Xinjiang has experienced many violent terrorist incidents caused by separatist forces and religious extremists. It was under this context that the Chinese government carried out work to counter terrorism in accordance with the law, bringing peace back to the people.

In 2019, Xinjiang received more than 200 million visitors, including diplomats, journalists and religious figures from over 100 countries. There have also been many independent media workers reporting about the real Xinjiang, Xiao said.

"We welcome friends to visit Xinjiang, but we do not welcome those with a presumption of guilt to come investigate and collect 'evidence'," he added.

Yusupjan Mamat, a member of the Standing Committee of the regional Communist Party of China Committee, said Xinjiang and Senegal have expanded cooperation in trade, environmental protection and cultural exchanges in recent years, and the conference aimed to further deepen understanding and friendship between the western Chinese region and the West African nation.

He said Xinjiang has maintained a stable society, achieved high-quality development and eliminated poverty. People's lives, as well as their sense of happiness and security, have significantly improved.

"The anti-China forces in the West have smeared Xinjiang with accusations of concentration camps, forced labor and the so-called eradication of the traditional cultures of ethnic groups. These are total nonsense," he added.