‘Terrorism’: Beijing issues white paper defending Uyghur internment camps
In July, facing growing international pressure about the internment camps that are imprisoning more than a million Uyghurs, the Chinese government released a white paper on Xinjiang which claimed that Uyghurs are not Turkic people.
Now Beijing has issued another white paper about Xinjiang. This time it’s a defense of the internment camps system. From Xinhua:
China released a white paper on vocational education and training in Xinjiang Friday.
There are six chapters in the white paper: urgent needs for education and training, law-based education and training, content of education and training, protection of trainees’ basic rights, remarkable results in education and training, and experience in countering extremism.
The white paper, published by the State Council Information Office, said that terrorism and extremism are the common enemies of humanity, and the fight against terrorism and extremism is the shared responsibility of the international community.
Here is the full text of the white paper: English, Chinese. It shouldn’t surprise you to know the first word in the preface is “terrorism”:
Terrorism and extremism are the common enemies of humanity, and the fight against terrorism and extremism is the shared responsibility of the international community. It is a fundamental task of any responsible government, acting on basic principles, to remove the malignant tumor of terrorism and extremism that threatens people’s lives and security, to safeguard people’s dignity and value, to protect their rights to life, health and development, and to ensure they enjoy a peaceful and harmonious social environment.
Over the years, to ensure public safety and wellbeing, the international community has spared no effort and made tremendous sacrifices in preventing and combating terrorism and extremism. Many countries and regions, in light of their own conditions, have developed effective measures and drawn valuable lessons from these efforts.
Xinjiang is a key battlefield in the fight against terrorism and extremism in China. For some time Xinjiang has been plagued by terrorism and religious extremism, which pose a serious threat to the lives of the people in the region. Addressing both the symptoms and root causes and integrating preventative measures and a forceful response, Xinjiang has established vocational education and training centers in accordance with the law to prevent the breeding and spread of terrorism and religious extremism, effectively curbing the frequent terrorist incidents and protecting
the rights to life, health, and development of the people of all ethnic groups. Worthwhile results have been achieved.
UPDATE, 11/20: Xinhua News Agency claims there has been global praise for China’s white paper on Xinjiang. The article quotes a variety of experts from Sri Lanka, Morocco, Russia, Thailand, and Rwanda who say the second white paper “is a significant step in the fight against terrorism and religious extremism.”
Less impressed by the white paper are the three Uyghur Chinese citizens in this New York Times video op-ed: China: Free our parents from concentration camps.
