3月7日上午，参加十四届全国人大二次会议的新疆代表团在人民大会堂新疆厅举行全体会议，并向中外媒体开放。中外记者早早地就挤满了新疆厅，座无虚席。

当被问到如何看待有境外媒体报道称，新疆棉花产业存在“强迫劳动”，美国还专门出台“法案”对新疆棉纺品实施制裁这个问题的时候，轮台县铁热克巴扎乡萨依买里村党支部书记艾克热木·买买提明说想借­这个机会说几句心里话。

A National People’s Congress deputy from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on Thursday refuted allegations that forced labor exists in the region’s cotton industry. During an open discussion session of the region’s delegation to the top legislature’s annual session, Akrem Memetmin, Party chief of Sayimaili village in southern Xinjiang’s Luntai county, said villagers never need to be forced to plant cotton, because they know they can make handsome returns from growing it. He was responding to a question about the United States’ move to impose sanctions on cotton products from the region over the forced labor allegation.

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图源 新疆日报

“作为一名来自新疆基层的维吾尔族，我想说几句心里话。雪白的棉花是我们的金疙瘩，我们种棉花、赚钱、买车、买楼房，过上了好日子。请问，我们种自己的地、摘自己的棉花、赚自己的钱，这还需要强迫吗？”他说。

“On behalf of the ethnic Uygur villagers, I want to say something from the bottom of my heart,” he said. “We bought cars and houses and improved our lives because of cotton. We don’t need to be forced to make more money.”

这段不到30秒的视频被《中国日报》发布在视频号上后，引发大量网友们纷纷点赞、转发和留言。大家都觉得艾克热木的语言虽然朴实，却非常有力量，因为这就是事实。

每一个赞和留言背后都是网友对新疆棉农的支持和对西方反华势力对于新疆优势产业无理打压的愤慨。其中点赞最多的评论是：“人民对美好生活向往的滚滚历史浪潮是任何反华势力都阻挡不了的。”

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棉花是艾克热木·买买提明所在的萨依买里村的主要种植作物，去年全村种了7600多亩棉花。“我们村主要都是盐碱地，非常适合棉花生长。现在，从春季播种、夏季打药、秋季采摘都已经全部是机械化了。科技发展让我们种地越来越便捷，比如，我们用无人机喷洒农药，比如，将北斗导航应用在棉花播种机上，实现了无人驾驶播种。到棉花丰收的季节，家家户户都用采棉机。只有少数分散、边角的地块需要人工采摘，难道我们是在‘强迫机器劳动’吗？”他说。

The villagers now use drones to spray pesticides, and autonomous tractors are used to sow seeds and harvest cotton, Akrem said. “Machinery has already replaced most manpower at different stages of cotton farming in the village,” he said. “How can we force machines to work?”

长期以来，棉花都是新疆的重要经济作物，上世纪90年代，新疆就已是我国最大的优质商品棉基地，棉花产业成为了新疆的经济支柱产业之一。2023年，新疆棉花总产511.2万吨，占全国九成以上，新疆棉花总产量连续5年稳定在500万吨以上，面积单产、总产、商品调出量连续29年居全国第一。

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图源 中国政府网

Xinjiang has been the biggest production base for quality cotton in China since the 1990s, and its annual output has exceeded 5 million metric tons for five consecutive years.

新疆维吾尔自治区政协副主席金之镇随后补充回答说：“棉花作为农产品有其特殊性，最显著的特征是产业链上下游的紧密链接。这些产业链上都有许许多多的就业机会和工作岗位，是老百姓实现稳定增收的重要门路。”

Jin Zhizhen, deputy chairman of the Xinjiang Regional Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, then added that the development of the cotton industry can boost the development of other related industries, such as textiles and agricultural machinery, which can create more job opportunities for the people and increase their incomes.

他说美国出台所谓“法案”对新疆棉纺品实施制裁，实质上就是想以“强迫劳动”为幌子，在新疆制造强迫失业、强迫贫困，实质是破坏新疆繁荣稳定、遏制中国发展。

“The purpose of cracking down on Xinjiang’s cotton industry in the name of so-called forced labor is in fact to make people lose their jobs and fall back into poverty. By curbing the development of Xinjiang, the US aims to contain China’s development,” he said.

“美国打压新疆棉产业的企图不可能得逞，新疆棉今后还将继续以其优质品质畅销全球。”金之镇说。

“But the US won’t succeed. And cotton products from Xinjiang will continue to be popular around the world,” Jin said.

记者：崔佳