Draft:China's Government Reaction to Uyghur Crisis

The Chinese government has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the region citing many different reasons for the persecution. China claims that the Uyghurs are responsible for terrorism both in the autonomous zone and outside of it. They use this as a justification for the vocational camps that they have established and have used to commit atrocities against the Uyghur people. These camps are where many of the horrible incidents that are reported have happened. Additionally, China cites that the Uyghur people are a separatist group that threatens the territorial integrity of China. China has laid claim to the Xinjiang region of China since 1949 and feels that the Uyghurs are a threat. Along with this, Chinese leaders desire religious unity within the country, and the Uyghurs are predominantly Muslim. There is only so much information available on the Uyghur persecution as China is very secretive, but from what we do know China has continued their persecution and not let up. These trends are similar to past trends of colonial China as Chinese nationalism seems to be driving a lot of these things. Xi Jinping has made statements about the religious unity he desires from China. China’s nationalistic past has shown their desire to keep China homogenous as a people so it is not completely surprising that they have been persistent in their actions. Overall, China justifies its crimes by citing the things outlined above and completely denies all wrongdoing.