Why Xinjiang? Why China?

By Ruoshan Zhang, Hongxuan Pan and Yuntong Deng

Figure 1​: Uyghur dancer (Liang Huling, 2019)

While reading the article regarding the “controversy” of Xinjiang, the northwestern Uyghur autonomous region of China, published recently on the “OIS Valley Times,” we noticed a sense of prejudice in the way people perceive China, a way that is predominantly influenced by the knowledge that the most Western media has towards the East, over centuries.

In the article as issue, “The people living in that area could be separatist meaning that it would complicate China’s plans to build their roads there.” (​Humpert-Riches,2021) particularly caught our attention. By 2019, the population of Xinjiang is more than 25 million (“China Statistical Yearbook 2020.”, 2020).​ If what has been mentioned in that article were true, then it implies that China would have 25 million separatists within its total population. The statement from the article, therefore, needs a better review of statistical data.

Furthermore, as mentioned in the same article, what has been referred to as “re-education camps” (​Humpert-Riches,2021) a​re in fact, vocational education and training centers legally established in Xinjiang, whose intentions are to de-radicalize terrorists, which are no different in essence from the "community corrections" enforced in the US, the DDP (Desistance and Disengagement Programme) in the UK, and the de-radicalization centers in France, all in an attempt to prevent counter terrorism and radicalization.

As some of you may know, China had a one-child policy before and it only applied to Han people, which is the majority ethnic group in China. Uyghur families, like other minority groups, were exempted from this policy. However, based on what has been stated in the article “This has led to the growth rates in the region declining by 60% between 2015 to 2018.” (Humpert-Riches,2021),​ the statistics reported over the decrease of population raises a question of accuracy. As shown in the graph below, the Uyghur population has been continuously increasing over the years, at a pace that is even more than the Han population. The statement that the “population growth has declined by 60%,” needs to be double-checked.

Figure 2:​ Changes of Uygur Population and Han Population(The Statistical Yearbook of Xinjiang, 2019 in Li Xiaoxia, 2020)

As IB school students, we have been encouraged to think critically about issues, especially those that are globally consequential and complex. It is therefore crucial to think about the validity of any sources used, or of any arguments brought up by the mass media. Going back to the original point we raised, the content in this article largely reflects the way the West perceives China. It is worth reflecting on why it is that most media sources in the West are attempting to portray China in such a negative way. Could it be due to the rising power of China, which is seen as a threat among the economically, politically and culturally dominating countries? Who will benefit from the division between nations in the end? Besides the misinterpretation between each other, there must be a solution. The answer lies within us, the young, intelligent global citizens.

As Julius Caesar once said, “experience is the most efficient teacher of all things,” maybe getting to know Xinjiang and the people there worth more than the words of anybody else. In the end, Xinjiang is such a beautiful place, why don’t we go visit it?

Figure 3: ​Bosten Lake (Liang Huling 2019)

Figure 4: ​Kanas (Liang Huling, 2018)

Works Cited

Primary sources

Visual sources

● Figure 1: ​Liang Huling, “Uyghur dancer, ” 2019

● Figure 3: ​Liang Huling, “Bosten Lake,” 2019

● Figure 4 : ​Liang Huling, “Kanas, ” 2018

Secondary sources

Online sources

● “China Statistical Yearbook 2020.” ​China Statistic Press,​2020, www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2020/indexeh.htm.​

● Humpert-Riches, Anastasia. “We Said Never Again ... Why Can't We Keep Our Word? - Chinese Re-Education Camps.” ​OIS Valley Times,​9 Mar. 2021, valleytimes.wixsite.com/oeirasintschool/post/we-said-never-again-why-can-t-we-keep-ou r-word-chinese-re-education-camps.

Visual sources

● Figure 2 :​Li Xiaoxia. “An Analysis Report on Population Change in Xinjiang.” ​Global Times​, 2021, www.globaltimes.cn/page/202101/1212073.shtml.

Additional Sources If you are interested to know more, please access the links below. - https://mronline.org/2021/03/01/u-s-state-department-accusation-of-china-genocide-relie d-on-data-abuse-and-baseless-claims-by-far-right-ideologue/

- https://jerry-grey2002.medium.com/inconclusive-conclusions-lead-to-inadmissible-eviden ce-on-xinjiang-a4cb12c4b95d

- https://www.legrandsoir.info/ouighours-pour-en-finir-avec-les-fake-news.html

- http://asiaexpertsforum.org/dr-yukon-huang-misconceptions-chinese-economy/

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgRJm-tF6Qo

- https://thegrayzone.com/2018/08/23/un-did-not-report-china-internment-camps-uighur-m uslims/

- https://twitter.com/martjacques