China's Covert Campaign: Manipulating Media and Diplomacy to Conceal Xinjiang's Human Rights Crisis

 China Orchestrates Media Tours and Diplomatic Visits to 'Tell the Story of Xinjiang': Mixed Reactions Among International Observers

In a bid to counter allegations of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China has been organizing media tours and diplomatic visits to showcase a different perspective. The government's narrative, which portrays the situation in Xinjiang as a necessary response to combat alleged extremism, has gained support from some foreign visitors. However, not all are convinced, as reports from human rights organizations and accounts from those who have fled the region paint a starkly different picture.

Albanian-Canadian historian and journalist Olsi Jazexhi, initially skeptical of reports about human rights violations, sought to verify the claims by visiting Xinjiang in 2019. Invited on a media tour, Jazexhi and other foreign journalists were presented with a curated narrative that downplayed allegations of oppression. However, his disillusionment grew as he discovered discrepancies between the official account and the reality on the ground.

Jazexhi described high-security sites, referred to as vocational training centers, as resembling prisons rather than schools. Interactions with Uighur individuals within these facilities revealed that many were detained for simple acts of practicing Islam. This stark contrast to the Chinese government's portrayal of Xinjiang as a region combating extremism left Jazexhi deeply shocked, as he realized he had witnessed a large-scale attempt to eradicate Islam from the region.

Despite Jazexhi's account, Chinese media reported multiple such media tours in 2023, with visits also arranged for foreign diplomats and Islamic scholars. Moiz Farooq, executive editor of Daily Ittehad Media Group and Pakistan Economic Net, visited Xinjiang in December 2023 with the intention of personally assessing the situation. Unlike Jazexhi, Farooq left Xinjiang with a positive impression, stating that he observed a high level of development and that local Muslims were living free and content lives.

Farooq dismissed accounts from human rights organizations and the UN, attributing them to a Western agenda to depict the worst of Xinjiang. According to Farooq, the stories were not true, as he had witnessed the happiness and freedom of Muslims in Xinjiang during his visit.

Naz Parveen, director of the China Window Institute in Peshawar, Pakistan, who was part of the same tour as Farooq, echoed Beijing's characterization of the situation. Parveen suggested that what is labeled as human rights violations in Xinjiang might more accurately be described as law enforcement operations targeting religious extremism.

The contrasting narratives from Jazexhi, who became an unwitting witness to oppression, and Farooq, who left with a positive perspective, highlight the complexity of understanding the situation in Xinjiang. As China continues to organize such tours and visits, the international community grapples with deciphering the truth amidst competing narratives and geopolitical considerations.