China says it will ‘normalise’ Xinjiang camps as Beijing continues drive to defend policies in mainly Muslim region
- Chairman of regional government says facilities – which Beijing insists offer education and training – will be opened up to school leavers and farmers
- Comments come as Beijing continues defence against claims of human rights abuses in region, where up to a million Muslims are reportedly detained
China will move to “normalise” mass internment facilities in Xinjiang, the chairman of the regional government said on Monday as he criticised a US “smear campaign” highlighting allegations of human rights abuses.
Shohrat Zakir took aim at foreign media and Western governments at a press conference, accusing them of misrepresenting the nature of what he called counterterrorism operations in the far western region, where a million mainly Uygur Muslims have reportedly been detained in re-education camps.
China has defended its use of the facilities, insisting they offer “vocational education and training”. Zakir said all of those involved in the programme had “graduated”, adding that the facilities would be opened up to school leavers, farmers and officials who wanted to gain new skills.
The US House of Representatives recently voted in favour of a bill calling for sanctions against officials accused of human rights abuses in the region.
But Zakir, himself an ethnic Uygur, said: “The US is getting restless and has launched a smear campaign against Xinjiang. But no force can stop Xinjiang’s progress toward stability and development.”