China to step up use of Mandarin in Xinjiang schools in face of growing international outcry over policies
- Officials are also told they must work to make Islam more compatible with Chinese socialist values
- Beijing’s policies in the region have faced growing criticism internationally, with the EU imposing its first sanctions on China in decades
The authorities in Xinjiang are stepping up efforts to promote Mandarin-language education and to sinicise Islam despite the growing international outcry over its policies in the far Western region.
Xinjiang Daily reported on Thursday that the regional government had called an extended conference for local officials following a visit by one of the most senior figures in the central government.
During his trip, Wang Yang, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, ordered Xinjiang party officials to “optimise” governance to achieve long-term stability.
Wang, the head of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, is currently China’s fourth-highest ranked politician and oversees the party’s policies in Xinjiang and national policies on ethnic and religious affairs.
Praising the “consolidation” of regional efforts to counter terrorism and alleviate poverty, Wang told officials to work to sinicise religion and to guide Islam to be more compatible with Chinese socialist values.