Xinjiang | The China Project

The people helping Uyghur children struggling to build new lives in Turkey

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 12:52:55 +0000

Addiction, homelessness, and low self-esteem plague Turkic Muslim youth cast adrift, far from the financial and emotional support of families locked down in China since 2016. The China Project spoke to older Uyghur exiles dedicated to making positive change.

‘Seven-Five’ unleashed official clampdown Uyghurs suffer 14 years later

Ruth Ingram — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 16:55:12 +0000

On July 5, 2009, peaceful protests in Urumqi sought justice for Uyghurs murdered at a southern China toy factory. Three eyewitnesses recall the violence that erupted.

Exiled Uyghurs push UN to press China for account of relatives detained for being Muslim

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 14:16:47 +0000

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention demands release and reparations for Uyghurs jailed by Beijing illegally, for no crime.

Elderly Uyghurs die alone in jail, detained on trumped-up charges

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 15:12:30 +0000

In Xinjiang, grandparents in their sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties are forced to learn Chinese and subjected to endless Communist Party propaganda in an ongoing campaign to wipe out Uyghur culture.

A Uyghur family fled and Beijing followed, pushing for prison and extradition in Turkey and Morocco

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 13:46:14 +0000

The precarious life of a Uyghur family in exile.

Forced labor on China’s cotton farms will enslave Uyghurs until the EU and UN act, a report says

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 13:08:35 +0000

Scholars and activists say that efforts in Europe and America to combat forced labor in China are not enough.

Will Congress task U.S. spies to dig deeper in Xinjiang?

Ruth Ingram — Wed, 24 May 2023 20:12:12 +0000

A new bill introduced by a U.S. representative from New York, Ritchie Torres, says open-source intel isn’t enough to expose crimes against humanity that may be happening in the Uyghur homeland.

China’s trade with Central Asia — mostly via Xinjiang — topped $50 billion in April

Barry van Wyk — Thu, 18 May 2023 13:44:08 +0000

The backdrop of China’s Central Asia Summit today is rapidly expanding trade relations, driven by fossil fuel imports, that are now almost as large as China’s trade with the U.S.

Uyghurs face long wait to become U.S. citizens

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 18 May 2023 12:44:13 +0000

American legal gridlock is leaving exiles from Xinjiang trapped in limbo.

What Kazakhstan’s history classrooms teach their students about China

Berikbol Dukeyev — Wed, 17 May 2023 07:34:37 +0000

China is expanding its engagement in Central Asia. But in Kazakhstan’s history classrooms, official textbooks leave many teachers and students with more questions than answers about their powerful neighbor.

The United Nations calls for the release of three illegally detained Uyghurs

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 11 May 2023 12:46:27 +0000

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called for the immediate release of Ekpar Asat, Qurban Mamut, and Gulshan Abbas.

China pushes Belt and Road for Afghanistan with an eye its interests in Central and South Asia

Nadya Yeh — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:23:25 +0000

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with top officials from Central and South Asia last week. While China’s influence in the region is growing, so are its security concerns.

The case of Idris Hasan and other Uyghurs behind bars around the world at the behest of China

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 04 May 2023 13:55:08 +0000

Uyghurs have been detained on spurious charges in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Thailand, and Turkey, as the governments of those countries attempt to curry favor with Beijing.

A cultural program for young Uyghurs in Germany

Avi Ackermann — Thu, 04 May 2023 04:11:42 +0000

Activist Abduweli Ayup is attempting to keep Uyghur culture alive by teaching the younger generation their history and heritage.

How China abuses the Interpol Red Notice system to persecute Uyghurs

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 19:47:34 +0000

A recent House of Lords panel in the U.K. drew attention to the way China, among other countries, abuses the global Red Notice system that was originally set up to stop criminals from fleeing justice.

U.S. officials call out companies for forced Uyghur labor in their supply chains

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 19:47:34 +0000

Activists and U.S. officials have hailed legislation intended to stop goods made with coerced Uyghur labor, but complain that tainted goods are still reaching U.S. markets in large numbers.

Xinjiang through the lens of Zhang Boyuan

Neocha — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 12:01:54 +0000

Zhang says that the scenes in his photographs are things that were already there, but are also reflections of his own moods, and bearers of stories.

A new report on humanitarian needs of exiled Uyghurs around the world

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 19:47:34 +0000

Uyghurs who have escaped persecution in China face transnational repression, statelessness, poverty, and psychological trauma. Activists are calling for international help.

Activists call for complete ban on Hikvision, Dahua, and other firms that make surveillance tech used in Xinjiang

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 19:47:34 +0000

The tech companies that have profited off human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Chinese citizens continue to sell their wares worldwide and get funding from global investors.

When does cruelty become brutality? On state violence in Northwest China

Darren Byler — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 18:01:28 +0000

In Carlos Sanchez's book "A Sense of Brutality," cruelty is defined as enjoying the pain of another. In Xinjiang, there was a form of enjoyment, disguised as ethno-nationalist pride, of the detention of Uyghurs, suggesting cruelty at scale.

U.S. Select Committee holds session on ‘The Chinese Communist Party’s Ongoing Uyghur Genocide’

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 19:47:34 +0000

A new bipartisan U.S. committee held its second meeting to hear testimony from Uyghur survivors of internment camps and expert witnesses. Nobody minced their words.

Documenting the destruction of Uyghur and Kirghiz culture in China

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 19:47:34 +0000

Uyghur scholar and poet Aziz Isa Elkun has watched in anger as the Chinese government has waged war on the traditional music, dance, and poetry of his village home, and all the Turkic cultures of Xinjiang.

The man behind the protests at Pakistan’s Belt and Road hub at the port of Gwadar

Akbar Notezai — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 15:22:56 +0000

Resentment at the Chinese-funded port development at Gwadar in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province has been building for several years and one man is leading an ongoing protest movement.

Three Uyghur poems

Michael Fiddler — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 15:56:44 +0000

For World Poetry Day, we present three Uyghur poems (two of which are translated here for the first time into English) that tell stories of continuity and struggle: “Song of Nuzugum” by Tursun'ay Huseyin, “My Body is a Leaf” by Turghun Almas, and “Unending Song” by Téyipjan Éliyov.

This week on TikTok: China’s diplomacy in the Middle East and the arrest of Guo Wengui

Susan St.Denis — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 13:12:10 +0000

Want more like this? Subscribe to The China Project's official TikTok channel, The China Project, where Susan St.Denis explains complex topics about China clearly and simply in TikTok’s fast evolving visual and verbal language.

Uyghur women have been disproportionately singled out for abuse in Xinjiang

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 19:47:34 +0000

March 8 is International Women’s Day and the month of March is Women's History Month. But there’s been nothing for Uyghur and other Muslim women to celebrate in Xinjiang.

This week on TikTok: Xinjiang’s basketball struggles and North Korea’s tumultuous relationship with China

Susan St.Denis — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 14:12:10 +0000

Want more like this? Subscribe to The China Project's official TikTok channel, ChinaVibe, where Susan St.Denis explains complex topics about China clearly and simply in TikTok’s fast evolving visual and verbal language.

Abduweli Ayup is writing books for exiled Uyghur children

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 21:54:50 +0000

Exiled linguist Abduweli Ayup is publishing books for children with the aim of ensuring the Uyghur language and cultural traditions never die despite the most repressive efforts of the Chinese state.

Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan — and beyond

Darren Byler — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 09:58:47 +0000

Xinjiang's history as a penal colony and then a high-tech laboratory has resulted in one of the most sophisticated and all-encompassing surveillance networks in the world to be deployed there. Other places may be next.

Former champion Xinjiang Flying Tigers quit Chinese Basketball Association

Gerry Harker — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 11:42:37 +0000

The Flying Tigers, which won the CBA title in 2017, have abruptly abandoned China's professional basketball league with one month to play.

A search engine for disappeared Uyghurs

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 21:54:50 +0000

Uyghur exiles searching for loved ones are closer to answers thanks to a new internet search tool with access to more than 700,000 classified police records leaked from China last year.

Uyghur economist Ilham Tohti has been in prison for more than nine years now

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 17:25:16 +0000

He was a professor who worked within the Chinese state system to advocate for better treatment of the Uyghurs. His reward was a sentence to life in prison.

Visit of top Xinjiang official to London, Paris, and Brussels canceled after uproar

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 20:42:42 +0000

Erkin Tuniyaz, the most senior Uyghur Party official working for the Xinjiang government, was supposed to visit at least three European capitals. The trip was ‘postponed’ after a multinational, cross-party hue and cry.

Sinostan: Raffaello Pantucci on China’s inadvertent empire in Central Asia

Kaiser Kuo — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 19:00:57 +0000

This week on Sinica, Kaiser chats with Raffaello Pantucci, co-author of the 2022 book Sinostan: China’s Inadvertent Empire, which examines China’s presence in Central Asia. Based...

U.K. court throws out Uyghur forced labor lawsuit but plaintiffs call the judgment an ‘important vindication’

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 23:25:16 +0000

Activists and a former victim of internment and forced labor sued the British government for failing to act on reports of forced labor in cotton supply chains. They lost the case, but say the wording of the judgment was an “important vindication” for persecuted Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities.

Canada, a new Uyghur homeland

Darren Byler — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 05:49:43 +0000

The Uyghur diaspora is celebrating Canada's recent decision to accept 10,000 Uyghur refugees in the next two years. For them, there is finally hope of building a solid future.

The Uyghur Tribunal one year on: Has anything changed?

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 23:24:04 +0000

One year has passed since a panel of ordinary citizens in the U.K. declared a genocide to be unfolding in the Uyghur homeland, but much of the world still has to act on its implications.

Uyghurs condemn World Muslim Communities Council delegation to Xinjiang

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 22:49:19 +0000

The love affair between Beijing and Muslim leaders deepened last December with a rare visit by Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia. Then over the New Year, a group of Islamic dignitaries came to Ürümchi, supposedly to see for themselves how well their beleaguered Uyghur brethren are being treated by the Chinese government.

Is the Turkish government going to stand up for Uyghurs, or will economic interests win out?

Ruth Ingram — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 22:26:27 +0000

As Turkey heads into an election season, officials are promising that the country will not extradite Uyghurs to China. Can they be trusted?

Is the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act working?

Ruth Ingram — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 22:06:07 +0000

Half a year after Washington enacted a set of laws intended to prevent products of coerced labor from entering the U.S. market, supply chains in the solar power and apparel industries are snarled up, but it’s uncertain if the Uyghurs themselves have seen any benefit.

Afghanistan inks an oil deal with China, but the Taliban and Beijing don’t really trust each other

Nadya Yeh — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 22:16:40 +0000

The Taliban-led administration has signed a contract with a Chinese company to extract oil from the Amu Darya basin in northern Afghanistan. But recent attacks on Chinese nationals and other marks of instability will likely make Beijing proceed cautiously.

Anti-lockdown and anti-government protests all over China after deadly Xinjiang fire

Eduardo Jaramillo — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 13:57:50 +0000

Protests against COVID restrictions have broken out in major cities all over China.

Xinjiang under COVID lockdown as Party Congress looms

Nadya Yeh — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 21:16:51 +0000

Xinjiang has again imposed restrictions on outbound travel, while other places in China are clamping down on COVID to ensure a smooth, virus-free Party congress.

Why it’s hard to purge U.S. supply chains of forced labor | Live with Lizzi Lee

Lizzi C. Lee — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 10:39:02 +0000

Eliot Chen, a staff writer at the Wire China, explains how goods with ties to Xinjiang are still up for grabs in U.S. stores — despite Washington’s ban on forced labor.

Surveillance State: Authors Josh Chin and Liza Lin on their new book on China’s tech-enhanced social controls

Kaiser Kuo — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 16:31:39 +0000

This week on Sinica, Wall Street Journal reporters Josh Chin and Liza Lin join the program to discuss their new book Surveillance State: Inside China’s Quest to Launch...

The age of state surveillance

Kaiser Kuo — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 16:29:24 +0000

Wall Street Journal reporters Josh Chin and Liza Lin discuss their new book on technological surveillance, from China's state systems that track Uyghurs in Xinjiang, to the lack of Chinese public awareness on privacy issues, and much more.

‘The Backstreets’ by Perhat Tursun: A Xinjiang novel before its time

Darren Byler — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 04:03:19 +0000

"The Backstreets" is a masterful work of stream-of-consciousness fiction that has recently become available outside China, the first Uyghur-language novel to be translated into English.

The UN says China ‘may be committing crimes against humanity’ in Xinjiang

Jeremy Goldkorn — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 21:25:07 +0000

More than three months after her fact-finding visit to China, the outgoing head of the United Nations main human rights organization released her report on human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. The document does not make Beijing look good.

China is very active in Afghanistan one year after the U.S. withdrawal — Q&A with Niva Yau

Jeremy Goldkorn — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 18:23:51 +0000

Niva Yau is a Hong Kong–born scholar who lives in Kyrgyzstan, from where she observes China’s relationships with its western neighbors. She told me all about Beijing’s business in Kabul a year after America pulled out of Afghanistan.

What does the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps do, aside from forced labor?

Barry van Wyk — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 13:01:29 +0000

The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) stands accused of widespread human rights abuses in Xinjiang, but its operations are fundamental to Beijing’s economic plans for the region.

Beijing seeks to block the UN rights report on Xinjiang

The editors — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 21:21:14 +0000

Beijing is trying to stop the publication of a United Nations report on Xinjiang that is expected to be critical of China’s human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other minorities.

July 5, 2009: The riots that changed everything in Xinjiang

James Carter — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 04:00:50 +0000

In Urumqi on July 5, 2009, a Uyghur protest against racism and mistreatment turned into a riot, resulting in crowds attacking Han Chinese. The state's response — which is still ongoing — was not proportionate.

LGBTQ Uyghurs live trapped between layers of trauma

Sam Tynen — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 06:46:34 +0000

"I like living at home with my parents. To take care of them in their old age would be a great honor, and I could live out my days alone, working in my hometown until my death. If I could choose, that’s the destiny I would pick."

Between Islamophobia and homophobia: Life as an LGBTQ Uyghur in China

Sam Tynen — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 05:28:02 +0000

Queer Uyghurs are caught between visibility and invisibility, censorship and self-censorship, being "out" and hiding in the closet. It is not safe for them to share their stories. But when they do, they tell of the human desire to belong and to love.

Are Uyghurs different from Ukrainians? — Q&A with Rayhan Asat

Jeremy Goldkorn — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 22:51:40 +0000

Rayhan Asat and her brother worked for better Uyghur-Han relations in China. Then he was forcibly disappeared. So Rayhan was outraged by the recent visit of the UN’s human rights chief to Xinjiang that became a photo op for Beijing. She also had some pointed criticism for The China Project.

International pressure builds over Xinjiang after UN visit

The editors — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 22:11:35 +0000

Dissatisfied with UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet’s recent visit to China, some Western countries have called for the International Labor Organization to carry out a mission to investigate Xinjiang.

An anonymous letter from a Uyghur in China

Darren Byler — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 10:59:28 +0000

A citizen in eastern China describes how Uyghur “mouths have been sealed” over the past five years.

Uyghur voices in Istanbul

Rachel Harris — Fri, 27 May 2022 10:22:43 +0000

A Uyghur couple turns to music — inspired by the songs and poems of their culture — in response to the crisis in their homeland.

China ratifies two international treaties on forced labor

Nadya Yeh — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 22:28:02 +0000

The two conventions were passed by Beijing on April 20, in a move apparently intended to ease tensions over forced labor accusations in Xinjiang.

In Xinjiang, a new normal under a new chief — and also more of the same

Darren Byler — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 18:29:31 +0000

Ma Xingrui, the new party secretary of Xinjiang, is tasked with repairing the damage left by his predecessor, Chen Quanguo, who initiated the largest internment of a religious minority since World War II. But he will also need to execute Beijing’s new policy of thwarting what it calls the “two plots.”

China ‘deeply concerned’ about Uyghur militants in Afghanistan, ambassador says

Nadya Yeh — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 23:40:38 +0000

Zhang Jun, China’s envoy to the UN, raised concerns over a Security Council report on Afghanistan-based terrorism. The Uyghur militant group that Beijing is particularly concerned about, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), is not considered to be an organized threat by the U.S.

India accuses China of politicizing Olympics with military commander torchbearer

Nadya Yeh — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 00:00:39 +0000

On the eve of the Beijing Winter Olympics, India became the latest country to announce a diplomatic boycott of the ceremonies, citing the “regrettable” decision to pick a Chinese military commander from the recent India-China border clash as an Olympic torchbearer.

The Kazakhstan protests and Sino-Russian relations

Joe Webster — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 19:42:00 +0000

What do the protests in Kazakhstan mean for China and its relationship to Russia, which has sent troops to the central Asian nation to crush the unrest?

What can we expect from Xinjiang’s new Party boss Ma Xingrui?

Lizzi C. Lee — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 14:59:12 +0000

As global pressure on Beijing mounts because of its repressive policies in Xinjiang, the Communist Party has brought in a new man to lead the region.

Rocket scientist put in charge of Xinjiang

Jeremy Goldkorn — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 23:09:58 +0000

Under Chen Quanguo’s leadership, Xinjiang became globally notorious for the mass internment and surveillance of Uyghurs. Now Chen is being replaced by an aerospace engineer who has been running prosperous Guangdong Province.

The China Project 2022 Red Paper

The editors — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 23:14:09 +0000

We all read the headlines, but what really happened in China in 2021? And what’s on deck for 2022? This is our annual guide to the China issues we all need to know about.

U.S. poised to ban all Xinjiang products unless proven to not be made with Uyghur forced labor

Lucas Niewenhuis — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 01:27:40 +0000

After over a year of deliberations, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act has passed both the House and Senate in the U.S. Congress. President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law soon. Here’s what it would do.

What is happening in Xinjiang as 2021 draws to a close?

Jeremy Goldkorn — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 07:55:57 +0000

A Q&A with Darren Byler, author of a new book on China’s oppressive policies against Uyghurs and other Muslims in western China.

DJI to be blacklisted by U.S. Treasury Department

Jeremy Goldkorn — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 00:17:10 +0000

The U.S. Treasury Department is reportedly set to announce a ban on investment in eight Chinese companies, including DJI, the world-leading commercial drone manufacturer.

U.S. announces diplomatic boycott of Beijing 2022 Olympics

Lucas Niewenhuis — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 23:57:54 +0000

Team USA will compete in the Winter Olympics in China, but the Biden administration will not send any officials to Beijing in protest of human rights abuses, particularly in Xinjiang. China called the move a “blatant political provocation.”

Xinjiang: On technology and crimes against humanity

Darren Byler — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 04:10:58 +0000

The camp system in Xinjiang — the largest internment of a religious minority since World War II — is the first to employ a comprehensive digital surveillance system across an entire population, a "super panoptic" that uses automated, real-time assessments of massive amounts of data to sort populations based on their racial phenotypes and digital records.

Biden-Xi meeting: No breakthrough, but a possible journalist visa thaw

Lucas Niewenhuis — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 00:16:27 +0000

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping’s virtual meeting yesterday evening appears to have been relatively friendly and promises more stability for the U.S.-China relationship. There were no breakthroughs, but Chinese media reported that an agreement had been reached to issue journalist visas, starting with the U.S. side.

Chinese Super League’s Hebei FC on verge of collapse

Gerry Harker — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 17:27:07 +0000

Financial woes threaten to bring down yet another club in China's top soccer league.

China to finance counter-terrorism base for Tajikistan

Jeremy Goldkorn — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 23:33:28 +0000

According to new reports, China is going to build a military base in Tajikistan, and take control of another one. There is no official confirmation yet, but the move shows how much Beijing is worrying about instability from Afghanistan.

Enes Kanter doubles down on China criticism, calls out other athletes

Gerry Harker — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 09:44:53 +0000

Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter's criticism of China over Tibet and Xinjiang has caused him to be censored and his team's content to be removed from official streaming platforms.

How China controls Xinjiang: New report sheds light on ‘stability maintenance’ system

Lucas Niewenhuis — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 00:03:22 +0000

A new report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute uncovers new details of China’s extraordinary effort to exert control over the Xinjiang region since 2014, including more insight into the use of predictive policing systems.

The story of China’s first atomic bomb

James Carter — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 05:43:46 +0000

On October 16, 1964, "Miss Qiu" exploded atop a 102-meter-tall "dressing table" in Xinjiang. And just like that, China became a nuclear-weapon state.

Why Xinjiang is an internal settler colony

Darren Byler — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 17:50:42 +0000

This essay is adapted from Darren Byler’s forthcoming book, Terror Capitalism: Uyghur Dispossession and Masculinity in a Chinese City, published by Duke University Press (December 2021).

Cotton complications in Xinjiang: William Overholt on the case of Esquel

Kaiser Kuo — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 22:49:33 +0000

A year after its Xinjiang-based subsidiary was sanctioned by the U.S. government, textile giant Esquel Group recently successfully got the Department of Commerce to reverse its decision. Harvard researcher Bill Overholt appeared on the Sinica Podcast to discuss the case.

China makes a deal with the Taliban

Jeremy Goldkorn — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 22:33:03 +0000

As the U.S. completes its withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Chinese Foreign Minister met a high-level delegation from the Taliban seeking reassurances of stability.

America’s second most senior diplomat heads to Tianjin, the Chinese capital’s satellite city

Lucas Niewenhuis — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 23:01:23 +0000

A top U.S. diplomat is heading to China for talks with her counterparts, but no one expects much to change as China-U.S. relations continue to deteriorate.

China and the Arab League publish joint statement that showcases Beijing’s growing geopolitical ambitions

Eric Olander — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 22:06:31 +0000

China’s reach and influence in the Middle East and North Africa continue to grow.

‘Ethnic extinction’ in northwest China

Darren Byler — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 17:24:13 +0000

State policies in education are forcing Uyghur children to grow up in non-Muslim, Mandarin-speaking environments. Uyghur culture is being lost as a result.

U.S. bans some Xinjiang-produced solar products over forced labor allegations

Lucas Niewenhuis — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 22:51:10 +0000

Citing “information reasonably indicating” the use of forced labor, the U.S. placed an import ban on Xinjiang-based Hoshine Silicon Industry Company. Several other Chinese solar companies were also blacklisted.

China’s Xinjiang policies debated again at UN Human Rights Council

Lucas Niewenhuis — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 21:33:54 +0000

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet raised concerns about “reports of serious violations” in Xinjiang, while Canada led more than 40 countries in raising grave concerns about Beijing’s human rights abuses. China responded by accusing Bachelet of “erroneous remarks” and rallying 65 countries to its side.

China accuses G7 of slander and ‘Cold War thinking’ as Biden emphasizes values

Lucas Niewenhuis — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 21:56:24 +0000

The G7 world leaders concluded their first in-person summit since the beginning of the pandemic by criticizing China over several issues, including human rights. They also agreed to compete with China in infrastructure and vaccine distribution in developing countries.

China passes anti-sanctions law to push back on Western pressure

Lucas Niewenhuis — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 23:16:44 +0000

Beijing has quickly formulated and passed a new law to retaliate against any individual or organization who implements “discriminatory restrictive measures” — i.e. sanctions — against Chinese citizens or organizations, or those who “interfere in China’s internal affairs.”

U.S. Senate plans to spend hundreds of billions to counter China

Jeremy Goldkorn — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 00:00:45 +0000

China is America’s “greatest geopolitical and geoeconomic challenge” according to the Senate, which passed a bill to spend more than $250 billion to ensure that the U.S.A. stays on top. But will it work?

European Parliament freezes China investment deal over Beijing’s ‘baseless and arbitrary’ Xinjiang counter-sanctions

Lucas Niewenhuis — Thu, 20 May 2021 23:17:30 +0000

The European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution today condemning China’s human rights abuses and counter-sanctions over Xinjiang. Ratification of the EU-China investment deal is off the table, the resolution says, until Beijing removes those sanctions.

U.S. dials up criticism of China over Xinjiang amid more evidence of cultural and reproductive repression

Lucas Niewenhuis — Thu, 13 May 2021 22:07:41 +0000

A U.S. State Department official described China’s Xinjiang region as “an open-air prison” and reiterated the Department’s view that Beijing is committing genocide against Uyghurs. Meanwhile, several more reports have detailed how the Chinese government is chipping away at Muslim culture and life in Xinjiang.

Another report of reproductive oppression in Xinjiang

Lucas Niewenhuis — Mon, 10 May 2021 23:34:31 +0000

For the past year, international alarm over China’s abuse of Uyghurs has been heightened by reports of targeted birth control. A New York Times report confirms that even as birth restrictions have loosened in much of China, they have tightened and become more coercive for Muslims in Xinjiang.

The Reciter: A Uyghur family’s pride — and downfall

Darren Byler — Wed, 05 May 2021 18:03:12 +0000

Nurali, after memorizing the Quran, brought immense pride to his family. But back home in Xinjiang, his mother, who financed his studies, was accused of abetting "terrorism," and sentenced to 16.5 years in prison.

EU sours on China, investment deal appears frozen over Beijing’s sweeping Xinjiang counter-sanctions

Lucas Niewenhuis — Tue, 04 May 2021 22:11:42 +0000

The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment is on extremely thin ice, and may be suspended entirely because of Beijing’s counter-sanctions over Xinjiang. But that is far from the only area of increased EU-China friction.

British parliament is the latest to declare China committing ‘genocide’ in Xinjiang

Lucas Niewenhuis — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 23:03:04 +0000

After Canada and the Netherlands, the U.K. has become the third country to pass a nonbinding motion in parliament declaring China’s treatment of Uyghurs as “genocide.”

Heretic, separatist, traitor: Uyghur activist Halmurat Harri’s in-between life

Xinrou Shu — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 18:11:33 +0000

Few people have done as much as Halmurat Harri, the activist behind the #MeTooUyghur movement, to raise awareness globally of the suffering of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. But Harri's approach has made him a controversial figure among fellow activists.

Chinese TV shows censor foreign fashion brands as Xinjiang cotton row continues

Lucas Niewenhuis — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 23:18:20 +0000

Whether in response to a state directive or as a pre-emptive move to avoid public outrage, Chinese streaming services have taken to blurring foreign brands that refused to use Xinjiang cotton. Where do nationalistic consumer boycotts go from here?

How will Facebook deal with Beijing’s propaganda on Xinjiang?

Lucas Niewenhuis — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 22:36:28 +0000

Facebook employees are raising concerns about the Chinese government’s use of ad money to promote propaganda about happy Uyghurs in Xinjiang, the Wall Street Journal reports. Might Facebook eventually follow Twitter in restricting political advertisements in response?

Zhou Guanyu takes Bahrain F2, his first feature race win

Gerry Harker — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 10:25:23 +0000

Zhou Guanyu, who is already China’s greatest driver at age 21, began his 2021 F2 season with an exciting win at Bahrain. In his current form, he could make F1 — which would make him the first Chinese driver to do so — sooner than later.

China sanctions U.K. for Xinjiang ‘lies,’ continuing more aggressive pushback on Western criticism

Lucas Niewenhuis — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 23:25:38 +0000

After the U.K. joined the EU, U.S., and Canada early this week in coordinated sanctions and condemnation over China’s abuses in Xinjiang, Beijing issued counter-sanctions on nine British individuals and four entities.

China schmoozes with Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern powers

Lucas Niewenhuis — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 22:54:57 +0000

Beijing wants to play a bigger role in the Middle East and the region’s complicated geopolitics. It’s not just about oil: Saudi Arabia, for example, is supplying China with not just energy security, but also political cover for its policies in Xinjiang.

China and Russia condemn sanctions, accuse West of ‘politicizing human rights issues’

Lucas Niewenhuis — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 22:39:46 +0000

The Chinese and Russian foreign ministers condemned Western nations for “politicizing human rights issues” with sanctions. Beijing separately lashed out at “the West,” accusing at least half a dozen nations of hypocrisy and saying they had no right to lecture China.

EU issues first sanctions on China since 1989 over treatment of Uyghurs

Lucas Niewenhuis — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 23:38:07 +0000

Today, the European Union issued its first sanctions on China since 1989, condemning Beijing’s abuse of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Canada, Britain, and the U.S. also issued new Xinjiang-focused sanctions. Beijing immediately retaliated against the EU with sanctions of its own.

Beijing wants ‘strategic dialogue’ with U.S. and Europe, but instead, it’s getting confrontation

Lucas Niewenhuis — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 23:49:33 +0000

As senior diplomats from the U.S. and China prepare to meet in Alaska tomorrow, expectations are extremely low. Meanwhile, the U.S. sanctioned 24 officials for having undermined Hong Kong’s autonomy, and the EU reportedly approved sanctions in response to human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

American ‘overall opinions’ about China hit record low

Lucas Niewenhuis — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 00:03:18 +0000

According to a new Gallup poll, 79% of Americans now have an unfavorable view of China — more than right after the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. Pew, meanwhile, found that nine-in-ten Americans see China as a competitor or enemy.

‘Truth and reconciliation’: Excerpts from the Xinjiang Clubhouse

Darren Byler — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 18:52:52 +0000

For 16 hours, people in a Clubhouse room called “Is there a concentration camp in Xinjiang?” spoke freely, centering the discussion on those most harmed by state violence. Even while it was happening, the conversation felt historic — and worth preserving.

‘A First Farewell’ bids goodbye to a Uyghur childhood

Tristan Shaw — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 05:01:11 +0000

Dedicated to her hometown of Shaya, Xinjiang, director Wang Lina's debut uses non-professional actors to tell a poetic story about three young Uyghur children and their experiences with poverty, Sinicization, and a way of life vanishing before their eyes.

Asylum for the Uyghurs

Richard Altieri — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 22:01:18 +0000

Protecting the Uyghurs isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s also good politics.

The Xinjiang camps on Clubhouse

Kaiser Kuo — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 21:27:38 +0000

This week on Sinica, Kaiser and Jeremy chat with three of the guests in a remarkable room on the drop-in voice chat app Clubhouse, which...

Why are Chinese officials in Africa so active in messaging on Xinjiang?

Eric Olander — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 23:27:41 +0000

A new wave of Chinese propaganda, pushing back on claims of genocide and human rights abuses in Xinjiang, is being promoted widely in Africa. Here are a few reasons why Africa might be a focus of this messaging campaign.

China’s top diplomat bashes Trump policies, warns Biden to respect ‘redline’ issues

Lucas Niewenhuis — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 00:04:35 +0000

Top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi warned the Biden administration against making the “strategic misjudgment” of treating China as an adversary. The issues of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, and Xinjiang all “constitute a redline that must not be crossed,” he added.

Beijing rejects idea of climate as ‘standalone issue’ in U.S.-China relations

Lucas Niewenhuis — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 23:49:25 +0000

China is not eager to appear friendly with the U.S., despite the change of leadership in Washington.

Beijing places sanctions on Trump administration officials

Jeremy Goldkorn — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 00:14:30 +0000

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced sanctions on 28 Trump administration officials today, a clear sign that Beijing is not interested in a reset with the new U.S. government.

U.S. says China is committing ‘genocide’ against Uyghurs

Lucas Niewenhuis — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 00:02:17 +0000

The declaration by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was undermined by his tweet, a few hours earlier, condemning “multiculturalism” in the U.S.

U.S. sanctions on CNOOC and Xiaomi, and other moves

Jeremy Goldkorn — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 00:18:46 +0000

The United States Defense and Commerce departments both released blacklists of Chinese entities today as the Trump administration uses its last week in power to implement tough China policies.

‘Only when you, your children, and your grandchildren become Chinese’: Life after Xinjiang detainment

Darren Byler — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 17:47:40 +0000

“They said there was a document sent from above, from the administrative center, and that they were acting based on that document. They said no one can change the document since it was sent from the Central Committee. They said that the current system would not change until all Muslim nationalities would be extinct.”

China promises ‘sustained efforts’ on forced labor, as report reveals factories in 135 Xinjiang detention camps

Lucas Niewenhuis — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 23:22:55 +0000

In order to clinch an investment deal with the EU, China reportedly said it would make “sustained efforts” to ratify international conventions against forced labor. Meanwhile, BuzzFeed reported that at least 135 detention camps in Xinjiang have factories where forced labor likely occurs.

Coerced cotton picking in Xinjiang

Jeremy Goldkorn — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 23:48:01 +0000

A new report based on government documents and state media reports implicates the entire supply chain of cotton from Xinjiang in forced labor, from harvest to factory.

Three years of silence: Rahile Dawut named honorary professor

Darren Byler — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 18:16:27 +0000

Dawut disappeared in December 2017 after being detained by state authorities as she planned to travel to Beijing for a conference. She has not been publicly charged with a crime.

Beijing lists grievances against Australia, giving warning to other countries with tense China relations

Lucas Niewenhuis — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 22:56:32 +0000

After months of vague accusations that Australia had broken “mutual trust” with China, Beijing has made explicit a list of grievances with the country.

‘The atmosphere has become abnormal’: Han Chinese views from Xinjiang

Darren Byler — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 13:25:01 +0000

Around 9.5 million Han Chinese live in Xinjiang, making up about 40% of the region's population. How do they view Beijing's policies of surveillance and Uyghur reeducation?

China’s invasive surveillance state is not yet a panopticon

Lucas Niewenhuis — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 23:30:32 +0000

The Chinese government possesses “the most agile, invasive, and omnipresent surveillance capabilities in the world,” a ChinaFile analysis of over 76,000 documents has found. But the systems are not yet all-seeing, nor are they fully integrated across the country.

China reports over 100 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases linked to Xinjiang garment factory

Lucas Niewenhuis — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 23:30:13 +0000

After a 17-year-old garment factory worker in Kashgar, Xinjiang tested positive for COVID-19, authorities quickly tested all 4.75 million residents of the Kashgar area, finding 164 cases, all without symptoms.

Criticism of China’s Xinjiang policies grows at UN

Lucas Niewenhuis — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 22:13:28 +0000

Diplomats at the UN delivered another round of dueling joint statements on China’s Xinjiang policies this week. The group of 39 countries criticizing Beijing was the largest yet, and Turkey separately raised concerns over human rights.

French soccer and NBA stars speak out against Uyghur plight

Gerry Harker — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 15:37:36 +0000

Several big-name French soccer players have taken part in a social media campaign to raise awareness of China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

China’s Xinjiang policy is ‘completely correct,’ Xi Jinping says

Lucas Niewenhuis — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 23:36:33 +0000

Despite international criticism, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has expressed his satisfaction with Xinjiang policy, and urged the continued “sinicization of Islam.”

China has demolished thousands of mosques in Xinjiang, report says

Lucas Niewenhuis — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 23:46:36 +0000

A new report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute estimates that over 8,000 mosques in Xinjiang have been demolished in recent years, and that most Uyghur sacred sites have been demolished, damaged, or altered in some way.

380 detention camps identified in Xinjiang, showing continued mass incarceration

Lucas Niewenhuis — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 22:24:51 +0000

Even as Beijing claimed that Uyghurs in camps had all “returned to society,” construction of massive detention facilities in Xinjiang continued. A new report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute identified 380 detention camps, some of which are new and have upgraded security.

Ilham Tohti’s punishment for challenging China’s historical narrative

James Carter — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 06:19:42 +0000

In 2014, Ilham Tohti was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of separatism, despite his relatively moderate stance on questions of Uyghur autonomy. But his truth was too blasphemous — intolerable for China's gatekeepers of history.

A mass labor program in Tibet appears to follow Xinjiang model

Lucas Niewenhuis — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 23:05:46 +0000

New evidence has emerged of a mass labor program in Tibet. The details may be different, but the goal appears the same as a similar program in Xinjiang: to quickly remold hundreds of thousands of rural laborers into loyal blue-collar workers.

Human rights groups protest Beijing 2022 Olympics over oppression of Uyghurs and Hongkongers

Lucas Niewenhuis — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 22:32:05 +0000

Criticism of China’s Xinjiang policies and overall human rights record is getting louder. This might not change anything in China, but don’t discount the possibility that the U.S. and its allies could boycott the Beijing 2022 Olympics.

Uyghur ‘caretaking’ and the isolation of reeducation

Darren Byler — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 16:57:15 +0000

In Uyghur society, lending money is more than capital exchange, it's part of a practice that social theorist AbdouMaliq Simone refers to as “taking care.” In Xinjiang, as China's "People's War on Terror" accelerated, money transfers across international boundaries were seen as a possible sign of extremism — just another way that Uyghurs were cut off from their support networks and isolated from one another.

Former Shanghai Shenhua striker calls out soccer for ignoring Uyghur plight

Gerry Harker — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 09:37:28 +0000

In other Chinese soccer news, 2,000 live spectators were allowed to watch Beijing Guo'an play Shanghai SIPG in the Suzhou bubble. Meanwhile, Guangzhou Evergrande pulled out a 2-1 victory over Jiangsu thanks to Zheng Zhi, its 40-year-old team captain.

‘They screamed like babies’: Uyghur prisoner describes abuse in Xinjiang

Lucas Niewenhuis — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 22:59:27 +0000

In one of the most detailed accounts from a Uyghur prisoner in Xinjiang to date, the fashion model Merdan Ghappar leaked video and text describing his detention, including instances of torture that he witnessed. Ghappar’s account shows that even well-integrated Uyghurs are being targeted, and that arbitrary detentions have continued into 2020.

The ‘bright future’ of Chinese life in Xinjiang

Darren Byler — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 18:03:56 +0000

Life in the big city can be hard for Chinese migrant workers, but in Urumqi, economic incentives give them more opportunities than they'd get elsewhere. Provided that they are ethnically Han, that is.

U.S. sanctions the biggest ‘company’ in Xinjiang

Jeremy Goldkorn — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 22:48:50 +0000

The U.S. has announced new sanctions on the biggest state-owned entity in Xinjiang, the Chinese region where a million or more Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have been subject to extra-legal detentions.

Hosting the hostage: Looking beneath China’s policy to infiltrate Uyghur homes

Timothy A. Grose — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 21:16:59 +0000

While programs such as “Visit the People, Benefit the People, and Bring Together the Hearts of the People” 访惠聚 and “United as One Family” 结对认亲 have conscripted over 1 million Han civilians and sent them to live with Uyghurs in arranged homestays, the Chinese Communist Party’s contrived attempt to require Han people to share intimate moments and spaces with Uyghurs is fraught with paternalism, deception, and ethnocentrism; as such, it will be unlikely to alleviate Uyghur distrust of the Party and Han people.

Xinjiang cotton and selfie cameras: U.S. blacklists Chinese companies that use forced Uyghur labor

Lucas Niewenhuis — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 22:25:21 +0000

The U.S. blacklisted 11 Chinese companies yesterday, some for well-documented coerced labor, and others for their involvement in invasive biometric tracking of Uyghurs. The companies had supplied American brands such as Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, and Apple.

A shipment of Uyghur hair?

Jeremy Goldkorn — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 22:02:45 +0000

The U.S. blocked a shipment of hair extensions and accessories from China on the grounds that the products may have been made using forced labor in an internment camp in Xinjiang.

‘Demographic genocide’ in Xinjiang

Jeremy Goldkorn — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 23:01:34 +0000

The latest depressing report about the plight of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang comes from the Associated Press, which reports on a “widespread and systematic” campaign of forced birth control. Some experts are calling the campaign “demographic genocide."

Pompeo warns Chinese counterpart of ‘more confrontation to come’

Lucas Niewenhuis — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 04:00:00 +0000

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his most direct Chinese counterpart, Yáng Jiéchí 杨洁篪 — who holds two equally important titles, Politburo member, and director of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China — met yesterday in Hawaii. It was the first high-level diplomatic meeting between the U.S. and China in months, but don’t mistake that for a sign of détente.

U.S. puts new restrictions on Chinese companies with ties to Xinjiang

Shannon Van Sant — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 04:00:00 +0000

The U.S. Commerce Department says new restrictions on 33 Chinese companies with ties to Xinjiang, China’s military, and efforts to produce weapons of mass destruction will go into effect on Friday. The companies are based in mainland China, Hong Kong, and the Cayman Islands.

‘Uyghurs are so bad’: Chinese dinner table politics in Xinjiang

Darren Byler — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 04:00:00 +0000

There was a time, not too long ago, when friendship was possible between the Han Chinese of Xinjiang and their Uyghur neighbors. But where there once was camaraderie, now there is suspicion, fear, and empty slogans.

His dictionaries taught Chinese to the Uyghur world. Then he was taken away

Darren Byler — Wed, 06 May 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Hüsenjan was a Chinese state employee — and member of the Chinese Communist Party — tasked with creating dictionaries for the Uyghur language. His work couldn’t save him.

Preserving Uyghur art and culture amid cultural genocide

Matt Dagher-Margosian — Tue, 05 May 2020 04:00:00 +0000

This article first appeared on Asia Art Tours, a project that tries to highlight art and activism in Asia through media and travel. Follow them on...

Han migrants incentivized to move to Xinjiang as Uyghurs sent away

Jeremy Goldkorn — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 04:00:00 +0000

There is well-documented evidence that the Chinese government is transferring detained Uyghurs from internment camps in Xinjiang to factories in other parts of China where they are...

‘Heaviness in the stomach’: A Uyghur daughter alone in America on her birthday during a pandemic

Darren Byler — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 04:00:00 +0000

“I started to see a sadness in their eyes. They had become sad. They didn’t know what to do, so they just accepted it.” Post-disappearance...

Nike reacts to reports of Uyghur forced labor

The editors — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 04:00:00 +0000

The China Project illustration by Derek Zheng Nike is “reviewing its suppliers’ hiring practices in China,” the Washington Post reports, after reports that one of...

Nike and U.S. senators react to reports of Uyghur forced labor

Lucas Niewenhuis — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Nike is “reviewing its suppliers’ hiring practices in China,” the Washington Post reports, after reports that one of its factories in Qingdao was using likely...

More than 80,000 Uyghurs in coerced labor across China — report

Lucas Niewenhuis — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 05:00:00 +0000

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute published an important report into a labor program in China called Xinjiang Aid, where ethnic minority Uyghurs are transferred to factories across the country under coercive conditions. More than 80,000 Uyghurs were put into the program from 2017 to 2019, the report says.

New leaks — Uyghurs targeted for behaviors with no connection to ‘separatism’

Lucas Niewenhuis — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 12:06:00 +0000

A new leak of documents from the Chinese government provides further details of the Chinese government’s vast system of surveillance and detainment in Xinjiang. The “Karakax list” is the third major such leak of government documents.