Prominent Uyghur activist denounces China’s tourism campaign as cover-up for Uyghur repression

Amid international scrutiny for human rights violations, China is now attempting to present Xinjiang as a tourist hotspot, a strategy orchestrated and funded by the Xi Jinping administration, wrote Foreign Affairs & Security Minister of the East Turkistan Government in Exile on X.

Recently, China’s Foreign Ministry highlighted on X, that Xinjiang experienced significant growth in both tourism numbers and revenue in the first seven months of 2024.

The East Turkistan National Movement, which is dedicated to exposing human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, frequently challenges Beijing’s tactics, including its recent efforts to promote Xinjiang as a tourist destination.

Salih Hudayar, a prominent activist known for his criticism of China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims, condemned this portrayal.

In a post on X, Hudayar stated, “The genocidal Chinese regime is inundating East Turkistan with millions of Chinese tourists in a blatant attempt to obscure and whitewash its heinous campaign of colonisation, genocide, and occupation. This shameless facade is meant to hide the brutal suffering of millions of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples. The international community must not be misled by China’s deceptive propaganda–China must be held accountable, and its brutal occupation, Uyghur genocide, and state terrorism in East Turkistan must end immediately.”

East Turkistan is a historically used term adopted by various advocacy groups to refer to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

Reports reveal severe human rights violations in Xinjiang, including the detention of over one million Uyghurs in so-called “re-education camps” or “vocational training centers,” which the Chinese government describes as anti-extremism measures. Additionally, there is significant evidence of cultural and religious repression, such as the destruction of Uyghur mosques and cemeteries and restrictions on religious practices.

The region has been described as one of the most surveillance-intensive areas in the world, with extensive use of facial recognition technology and other forms of monitoring.

There have also been extensive reports and satellite imagery showing the existence of large-scale internment camps in Xinjiang.

These facilities are described as “re-education” camps by the Chinese government, but international observers and human rights organisations consider them to be detention centres.