Xi Jinping Reaffirms Commitment to Diminish Uyghur Dominance in East Turkistan

The General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, made a stopover in Urumqi on his return from a visit to South Africa in August last year. This visit raised various questions. At that time, Chinese media reported that Xi listened to the work reports of the Uyghur Autonomous Region Party Committee and the Urumqi government and issued important directives concerning the "Xinjiang work," though details of these directives were not disclosed.

According to international researchers, Xi Jinping's visit to Urumqi is seen as a moment that re-emphasized policies set in 2014 aimed at reducing the demographic "dominance" of the Uyghurs in their own region. Dr. Adrian Zenz, a senior researcher at the U.S.-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and an expert on Uyghur forced labor and camps, believes that Xi's surprise visit in 2023 reaffirmed these policies. Dr. Zenz indicates that in a private speech made by Xi in 2014, which was not disclosed to the public, he supported a policy of "gradual assimilation" with the aim of changing the demographic situation of the Uyghurs in their homeland.

Adrian Zenz has unveiled recent discoveries that show significant expansion in the Pairing Assistance program, aimed at promoting cross-provincial labor transfers from the Uyghur region in 2023. This initiative saw a 38 percent increase in labor relocation to other Chinese provinces last year.

A research report by Nankei University, with state support, argues that transferring the Uyghur labor force, particularly those of childbearing age, to mainland China is a strategic measure to scatter their population. This method is designed to control population growth and diminish their numerical superiority.

by Dilshat Sultan

March 26 2024