Link to Article: Chinese Labour Schemes Aimed to Cut Uighur Population Density
An archived copy of a report by Nankai University adds to the growing body of evidence of Beijing’s concerted efforts to persecute Uighurs in what human rights experts and some governments have labelled cultural genocide. The Chinese government denies accusations of forced labour and labour transfers in Xinjiang, saying work programmes are a voluntary element of its poverty alleviation goals. However, the Nankai report said the labour transfers were also a long-term measure that “not only reduces Uighur population density in Xinjiang, but also is an important method to influence, melt, and assimilate Uighur minorities.”
The report recommended the government expand the programmes to eastern and central regions of China to meet labour demands. Though the report emphasised that programmes were “voluntary”, it also provided contradictory details, such as worker export targets and the need for security guards in the labour sourcing teams. In a statement to the BBC, the Chinese government said the report “reflects only the author’s personal view and much of its contents are not in line with the facts”.
China maintains blanket denials of atrocities committed in Xinjiang, including accusations of the arbitrary detention of an estimated 1 million people, forced sterilisation and assault of women, suppression or destruction of cultural and religious traditions and sites, and intense surveillance. It says the detention camps – which it once denied existed – are vocational training centres used to address religious extremism. In recent weeks officials have also publicly targeted individual Uighur women who have spoken about their experiences.