Aamna Khan
The State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China recently published a white paper titled “Respecting and Protecting the Rights of All Ethnic Groups in Xinjiang”. It covers extensively a strategy and advancements China made in the realm of civil, political and economic rights specifically with regards to Xinjiang.
Watch: Why is the West skeptical of Xinjiang?
This paper, a reply to the West’s ‘fabricated and distorted’ allegations, declares Xinjiang a stable and orderly society after the government’s anti-terrorism actions. Uyghur people, according to the document, are experiencing an optimal period of development. China considers they intend to discredit it, interfere its internal affairs and restrict its development.
China’s governance strategy has helped improving human rights situation in Xinjiang. The government enforced ethnic unity, promoted local culture and spent on population to stabilize it, the paper says. Unlike western projection in the media, it says people without any outside interference have all ingredients to express themselves including radio and television stations, newspapers, internet infrastructure and different online platforms. Citizens, regardless of race or creed, have the right to travel, select their occupations, and spend their lives as they want, as long as the law allows it.’’
But East Turkestan Independence Movement (ETIM) has been a constant threat to China’s security and internal stability in recent years. as the militant group has mounted several attacks in Xinjiang. To counter it harshly, Beijing introduced two laws in the autonomous region that borders with Mongolia, Afghanistan, Kazakstan and Kyrgyztsan. These legislations enable the authority to go after members of the group that seeks autonomy.
Watch: Life in Xinjiang: Misleading assertions around training camps
Further, vocational and training institutions have been set up there make Uyghur people skilled labour and accelerated awareness drives on the rule of law to protect the public’s right to personal liberty.
Henceforward, there has been no terrorist attack in Xinjiang since the end of 2016. The infiltration of extremism has been contained, and the right to live of all ethnic groups has been properly preserved. On the other hand, the Chinese government began spending well being of region’s population as a part of state’s countering radicalisation strategy. More jobs were created, schools and health facilities built and poor in inhospitable locations related. This investment is reflected in per capita GDP of the region that has gone up 30 times to RMB53,593 in past more than six decades, according to the paper. By the end of 2020, more than 2.7 million rural people in Xinjiang living below the current poverty line had emerged from poverty, and 3,666 villages and 32 counties were no longer classified as poor.
Vigorous efforts have been made to improve infrastructure in Xinjiang including airports, roads, high-speed railways, power supplies and internet. This really triggered economic growth as the total employed population there grew from 11.4 million to 13.6 million, up by nearly 20 percent, from 2014 to 2020, the document says.
In response to the allegations against China regarding restricting Uyghur Muslims from practicing their religion, the white paper states that in Xinjiang, people have the freedom to believe in or not believe in any religion, to believe in one religion in preference to another, to believe in any sect of the same religion, to abandon their past beliefs, and to become believers at their chosen time.’’
No organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in or not believe in any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in or do not believe in any religion. Anyone who infringes upon the freedom of religious belief will be held legally liable. No citizen may suffer discrimination or unfair treatment for practicing or not practicing any religion.’’
Besides, the Chinese government assists in organizing different religious prayers, festivals and activities and spends to protect ancient religious texts, such as the Quran, the Sira, and Maitrisimit nom biting. Many ancient religious books, including The Tales of the Prophets (Qisas al-nbiya), Volume II of the Golden Light Sutra, and Maitrisimit nom biting, have been included in the Catalog of National Rare Books of China’, it says.
China has adopted a multi-level approach to counter extremism and radicalization in Xinjiang which has remained successful and visible due to China’s worldwide growth as well as a distinct reduction of terrorist and violent incidents, notably in Xinjiang.
A freelance columnist and a PhD student majoring in International Relations at Jilin University, China
