Internment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China

In recent years the plight of Uyghurs in China’s west central province Xinjiang has caught attention of the international community but apparently not enough to cause any change in the status quo of the situation in Xinjiang.

Past and Current International Action
Chinese authorities have been routinely accused of forcing Uyghurs into mass internment camps with the pretext of re-education programs, imposing forced labor in the guise of vocational training, involuntary birth control with the semblance of improving quality of life, and erasing cultural and religious identities in the name of national unity. These horrific actions of Chinese authorities (and Chinese Communist Party at large) have drawn accusations of genocide from international human rights groups and several governments, most notably from Western countries. But so far, the international response has been largely muted, inconsequential, and only resulted in sanctioning a few powerful officials in Xinjiang.

Despite abundant proof of genocidal policies of CCP against the Uyghurs, seemingly there is not enough concerted and meaningful political or legal action at the world forum and the international response has been lagging at best.

The enormity of the abuses against Uyghur behooves us to take a firm and unambiguous stand against China's draconian oppression against Xinjiang. So far, the international community’s response has been inadequate, abysmal, and patchy at best. If history teaches us anything, lack of action against tyranny always ends with a catastrophe of epic proportion. 

Country Position
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been demonstrably able to develop and cultivate a sympathetic voting bloc and support system for its policies within the framework of the United Nations. As a result of these efforts, especially regarding the issue of human rights, China has been able to avoid and develop a counter narrative to any criticism of its treatment of Uyghur Muslims living in Xinjiang province. China began voting on UNHCR resolutions alongside a loose coalition of developing states usually referred to as the “Like-Minded Group of Developing Countries,” (LMG), mainly composed of totalitarian and semi-authoritarian states from the developing world.

Nepal is one of the countries among LMG which has openly supported China’s position on Uyghurs and its policies in Xinjiang. Relations between Nepal and China got better since both countries resolved their border disputes by signing the Sino-Nepal agreement on March 21, 1960. Since then, Nepal-China relations have always been good and got better after Nepal’s official joining of China’s ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI) in 2017. The new investment from China through BRI is deepening bilateral ties between Beijing and Kathmandu and further bringing Nepal under its fold.

Proposed Solutions
The Chinese Communist Party’s campaign to systematically destroy the fundamental human rights and identities of the Uyghur Muslim minority requires a consistent, coherent and concerted effort from the international community, mainly from the developed nations who can exert much more impact than countries under China’s economic influence. Some of the key actions taken should be targeted towards the economic and authoritarian system of the CCP.

Supporting Uyghurs affiliated groups in their fight against China’s propaganda and misinformation. 
Granting displaced Uyghur’s asylum in western countries to help alleviate the ongoing hardship in their quest to better life. 
Building strong consensus in the United Nations against the atrocities of the Chinese government. The West and especially the United States can take the lead on this based on its status as the most powerful and leader of the free world. Building consensus by bringing majority countries and isolating the Chinese government at the world forum could be one of the best strategies. This will send a clear message to China and the world at large that any kind of intolerance against any minority is unacceptable and has serious consequences.
Economic sanctions of goods produced -  If countries stop importing goods made directly or indirectly with forced Uyghur labor, it will dissuade and discourage CCP to continue their policies of suppression and may improve better working conditions for Uyghurs.
A global awareness program to counter secretive and hideous policies of CCP. This may bring in LMG countries towards a unified coalition against China's policies toward Xinjiang.

IV. Questions to Consider

How has China’s censorship affected the freedom of the foreign press and the information made accessible to the public about the oppression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang? Should foreign press have access to Xinjiang, or does China have the 
right to set a “boundary” around the region that must be respected by journalists from other countries?

The Chinese government has resorted to extraordinary measures in covering up its violations of human rights in Xinjiang. It is almost certain that people speaking up in Xinjiang are threatened, mistreated, and run the risk of being detained. The fate of hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs remains unknown, the majority of them in detention camps or languishing in prisons. Chinese state data shows significant increases in prison sentences and satellite imagery shows significant new prison construction in Xinjiang since 2017. Others have been transferred to forced labor camps.

Disinformation and propaganda from Chinese authorities meant to hide the truth while portraying a happy and normal situation in Xinjiang will prolong the suffering of Uyghurs. Any remediation of this starts with knowing the fact and uncovering the true situation. With that goal, the fact-finding rights group, concerned citizens, and journalists with international affiliation should be given free access to the region.

What are the “Three Evils” that China has defined, and which “evils” are applicable to the history of Uyghurs in Xinjiang? Compare your analysis with one other ethnic group that has been disputed in relation to China — for instance, those in Tibet, Inner Mongolia, or Taiwan.
The Three Evils is a political slogan of the People's Republic of China defined as terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism. The most serious accusation from the Chinese Communist Party for Uyghurs seems to be extremism. CCP attributes extremism as the main threat in Xinjiang while aiming to legitimize the incarceration of the population for a major de-radicalization program and social transformation. In contrast the CCP views Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Taiwan suffering from the evil of “separatism” and needs to be dealt with. A narrow categorization of a whole ethnic or religious group certainly leads to a policy of mass brutalization, extreme sufferings, and eventual genocide.

Works Cited

China's Final Solution In Xinjiang. (2022). hoover.org/research/chinas-final-solution-xinjiang
 China: Draconian repression of Muslims in Xinjiang amounts to crimes against humanity. (2021).

amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/06/china-draconian-repression-of-muslims-in-xinjiang-amounts-to-crimes-against-humanity/

 China: UN must act on Xinjiang atrocities after petition shows mass global outrage. (2021).

amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/10/china-un-must-act-on-xinjiang-atrocities-after-petition-shows-mass-global-outrage/

 China: The International Community is Failing Xinjiang’s Uyghurs. (2022).

usip.org/publications/2020/12/china-international-community-failing-xinjiangs-uyghurs

Combatting Human Rights Abuses in Xinjiang. (2022). csis.org/features/combatting-human-rights-abuses-xinjiang
Uyghurs - Wikipedia. (2022). 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs 
Three Evils - Wikipedia. (2022). 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Evils