Last week, data miners were able to uncover security spending reports in the Xinjiang region of China, which showed a massive increase in funding. This is of concern to the global community because of the alleged Muslim internment camps that are stationed there and the potential meanings of the term “security spending”. Credible reports coming out if China suggest brutal and torturous treatment of the Muslim populations, but China says otherwise, and it’s likely that they are stretching the truth. Here’s why China’s cover up is anything but believable.
First off, China has reported multiple times that these are ‘training centers’ rather than so called internment camps. They back up this claim by reporting that the money sent to the region was actually used to fund “vocational education and training program[s]” to the Muslim populations, but the pattern of funding says otherwise. In one report, the budget and spending of the funds is used in a way that suggests that internment camps are an actual issue in China. Also, the claims that the money is being spent towards vocational training and classes on history & culture does not stack up to the fact that Chinese reported records indicate that spending on programs in the region have dropped about 7%. The fact that the country contradicts itself is a hardline red flag that they are not being totally truthful.
Another reason that China’s story does not seem realistic is that the reactions of Chinese diplomats to the claims. Back on Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Council reviewed China’s human rights record, a motion that brought backlash from a leading representative in the region. Le Yucheng has said that China, “will not accept politically-driven accusations from a few countries that are fraught with biases”. Another point made was that China will govern under its own definition of human rights, a statement that poses more questions than answers. One thing that is for certain however, is that the Muslim population in China is not receiving fair treatment and is the subject for foreign intervention should the brutality continue.