Advertisement
Xi Jinping defends ‘totally correct’ Xinjiang policies despite growing human rights concerns
- Beijing has been accused of detaining an estimated million Uygurs and other Muslim minorities in re-education camps
- But Xi tells a high-level party meeting its approach is bringing stability and prosperity to the region and must continue ‘for a very long time’
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Chinese President Xi Jinping has said the Communist Party’s policies in Xinjiang are “totally correct and must carry on for a long time” despite a growing international outcry over alleged human rights abuses in the region.
Advertisement
China has been accused of having detained at least 1 million Uygurs and other Muslim minorities in internment camps and subjected them to political indoctrination and forced labour.
Beijing has denied the allegations and insisted these camps are “vocational training centres” where people are given education and training to improve their job prospects and counter religious extremism.
Xi made the comments on Saturday at the party’s highest level meeting concerning the far western region, the Third Central Symposium on Xinjiang Work.
Xi told the central and provincial officials present that since the second symposium in 2014, Xinjiang has achieved significant economic growth, higher standards of living and better environmental protections, which he described as a “success proven by fact”, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Advertisement
Advertisement