Here’s what the US claim that China is committing ‘genocide’ could mean

On the last full day of the Trump presidency, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said China was committing genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim peoples, the toughest condemnation to date in the repression of Beijing in its far western region of Xinjiang.

The announcement was hailed by exiled Uyghurs as a long-desired recognition of the extent of oppression in Xinjiang. It has also been criticized as a move that has been delayed too long and marred by the Trump administration’s loss of credibility and efforts to overturn the presidential election results.

Biden’s incoming administration has indicated its general agreement with the appointment. A spokesman for Joseph R. Biden Jr. said during last year’s presidential campaign that Beijing’s policies in the region amounted to genocide.

Here’s a look at the Xinjiang region, China’s crackdown, and what the declaration of genocide might mean for the global response.

Xinjiang, in China’s far northwest region, is home to large numbers of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other predominantly Muslim groups. It is culturally, linguistically and religiously more similar to Central Asia than to Chinese interior.

The geography is dominated by the vast Taklamakan Desert in the center of the region, multiple mountain ranges and traditional oasis towns in the south. The region is rich in natural resources and has some of the largest oil fields in China.

The Communist Party has ruled the region with a steady hand since taking control in 1949. To many Uyghurs, Xinjiang is known as East Turkestan, a name shared by two short-lived independent republics that existed. before the communist takeover.

The Uyghurs have long held back Chinese control of the region, which has seen an influx of Chinese-born migrants and increased restrictions on local language, culture and religion. Minority groups in Xinjiang say they do not have a job or contract due to widespread racial discrimination.

Resentment has at times turned into violence, including attacks on police and civilians. In 2009, nearly 200 people, mostly Han Chinese, were killed in riots in Urumqi, the regional capital.

In 2016, a new Communist Party boss, Chen Quanguo, was transferred from Tibet to Xinjiang. He began to lead an intensified crackdown, placing large numbers of Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other minority groups in re-education camps.

Under Mr. Chen, the use of surveillance, in the form of both high-tech facial recognition surveillance and traditional measures like police checkpoints, has surged in the region. China has also attempted to control the growth of the Uyghur population and researchers say it has used repressive methods such as forced sterilizations.

Large numbers of children in Xinjiang have been placed in boarding schools designed to assimilate and indoctrinate them, according to plans released by the government. And the authorities proceeded with the widespread destruction of mosques and shrines while turning others into tourist spots.

What are the camps?

Authorities have held a million or more people in internment camps in Xinjiang, the country’s most radical mass detention program since the Mao era. A wide range of behaviors can lead to detention, including acts of religious devotion, travel to certain countries, violations of birth restrictions, or the installation of cell phone applications that allow encrypted messaging.

Authorities initially denied the mass detentions. Then they recognized what they called a vocational training program aimed at combating terrorism, separatism and religious extremism by giving people vocational skills and training in Chinese. Those who have been held in camps describe a harsh prison environment filled with monotonous political indoctrination and, for many, bouts of violence and physical abuse by the guards.

In 2019, Chinese authorities said they had ended the program and released most of those detained, a claim that has sparked widespread skepticism from researchers and activist groups. While there are signs that some camps have been closed and some have been freed, China has also continued to expand detention centers in the region, particularly high-security prisons.

The region has also seen a record increase in arrests, trials and prison terms, according to official data released in 2019. In addition, authorities have pushed work programs in Xinjiang, including the transfer of workers to the region. and to other parts of China, which critics say most likely involve coercion and forced labor.

How did the world react?

The global response to the crackdown in Xinjiang has been relatively muted, a sign of China’s global influence. Over the past year, the United States has imposed sanctions on Chinese officials, businesses and government agencies operating in Xinjiang.

The declaration of genocide is the sharpest response to date. Last year, a Canadian parliamentary subcommittee came to the same conclusion. Mr Pompeo’s statement could result in further sanctions from the United States, but those decisions will now be in the hands of the Biden administration.

A test will be Will the Biden administration try to persuade U.S. allies to support efforts to confront Beijing over its oppression in Xinjiang in a way the Trump administration has not? In his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Antony J. Blinken, Biden’s candidate for secretary of state, said the United States would try to pressure support from other countries.

“When we work with our allies, without denigrating them, it is a source of strength for us in our relations with China,” he said.