Economic hit for Han Chinese in Xinjiang as state focuses on repression
โThrough government incentives, Han Chinese have been lured to Xinjiang to accelerate the โhanificationโ of ethnic Muslims,โ reports Bitter Winter. โNow, itโs not easy for them to return home.โ
- The main obstacleย for Han Chinese who migrated to Xinjiang in going home is that the authorities are not allowing them to switch their residency permit (ๆทๅฃ hรนkวu) back to their hometowns, which means they cannot gain access to social services.
- They want to leave because times are tough in Xinjiang.ย From one of the migrants interviewed for the Bitter Winter story:
When asked what the main reason to leave Xinjiang was, Mr. Chenโs said that it was getting hard to support the family doing business because the government is concentrating all its efforts on the so-called โstability maintenanceโ instead of economic development. โAlso, most Uyghur men have been detained, only a few are left who can be hired for work in my line of business,โ Mr. Chen explained.
He added that in the area he used to live and work, law enforcement officers often cordon off streets, especially on holidays and festivals. On major holidays, like the National Day on October 1, the whole area and highways leading to the area were totally blocked, so fresh vegetables couldnโt be shipped to other areas. They could only be sold at a low price in his neighborhood, resulting in enormous losses for Mr. Chenโs business.
See also in the Wall Street Journal: How China persuaded one Muslim nation to keep silent on Xinjiang campsย (paywall).
Beijing funded visits by Indonesian religious leaders to show how its re-education centers are a well-intended effort at providing Uyghurs with job training.
