{"id":223201,"date":"2020-07-30T14:11:36","date_gmt":"2020-07-30T21:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=223201"},"modified":"2020-08-03T18:49:58","modified_gmt":"2020-08-04T01:49:58","slug":"covid-outbreak-threatens-xinjiang-internment-camps-as-pressure-on-beijing-mounts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2020\/07\/covid-outbreak-threatens-xinjiang-internment-camps-as-pressure-on-beijing-mounts\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID Outbreak Threatens Xinjiang Internment Camps as Pressure on Beijing Mounts"},"content":{"rendered":"

As China is dealing with a new spike in coronavirus cases\u2014reporting its highest new case count in three months on Wednesday<\/a>\u2014the vast majority of officially reported new cases are coming from the Xinjiang region. The capital city of Urumqi last week declared a “wartime state”<\/a> over the initial spike, enacting additional lockdown measures<\/a> in a region accustomed to tight security<\/a> and high-tech surveillance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Xinjiang a broad and escalating crackdown on local Uyghur culture and religiosity<\/a> has been underway since 2014<\/a>, and arguments have recently been made<\/a> that the aims of its policies fit the U.N. definition for genocide<\/a>. Since at least 2017, the campaign has included a mass detention program<\/a> that has held as many as two million Uyghurs. At The Guardian, Helen Davidson reports on fears that the new outbreak in Xinjiang could affect the internment camps<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n

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Dr Anna Hayes, senior lecturer in politics and international relations at James Cook University in Australia, said the level of secrecy coupled with the potential for officials to cover up outbreaks, means any outbreak in the camps may never be made public.<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt we would ever know,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the fact there is community transmission, it\u2019s only a matter of time, if it hasn\u2019t happened already,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

[…] Dr Michael Clarke, associate professor at the Australian National University\u2019s national security college said the outbreak in two distant cities and high rates of community transmission suggested there were \u201cmultiple places throughout the region with potential hotspots\u201d.<\/p>\n

[…] \u201cAnother source of vector for the wider Uighur community is the Becoming Family program where you\u2019re allocated a Han Chinese person \u2026 and you have to have the person in your house,\u201d Hayes said, referring to a program of compulsory homestays<\/a> where Communist party members spend about a week every two months in the home of Xinjiang residents. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Despite evidence of forced labor<\/a>,\u00a0political indoctrination, abuse, and death<\/a> inside the camps, Chinese authorities continually deny allegations<\/a> as a chorus of censure from foreign lawmakers<\/a>,\u00a0rights groups<\/a>,\u00a0academics<\/a>,\u00a0editorial boards<\/a>, and\u00a0celebrities<\/a> continues to grow. Earlier this month, the U.S. announced Magnitsky sanctions on top CCP officials<\/a>, and the International Criminal Court began considering a case against Beijing for crimes against humanity. Days later, China’s ambassador to the U.K. issued a lengthy and spirited denial<\/a> of the situation in Xinjiang while being shown footage of blindfolded and bound prisoners being led to trains.<\/p>\n

Last week, France renewed its criticism of Beijing<\/a> over the treatment of Uyghurs and called for rights observers to be allowed into Xinjiang, and the Trump administration announced sanctions on 11 companies alleged to have utilized the forced labor of Uyghur<\/a> detainees. At Reuters, Amber Milne reports on a coalition of over 180 civil society organizations’ petition for popular brands to stop sourcing cotton products from Xinjiang over the “grave risk” that forced labor was involved<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n

More than 180 organisations urged brands from Adidas to Amazon.com Inc. to end sourcing of cotton and clothing from the region and cut ties with any suppliers in China that benefit from the forced labour of the ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim groups.<\/p>\n

[…] While most fashion brands do not source from factories in Xinjiang, many of their supply chains are likely to be tainted by cotton picked by Uyghurs that is exported across China and used by other suppliers, the rights groups said in a letter.<\/p>\n

More than 80% of China\u2019s cotton comes from northwestern Xinjiang, which is home to about 11 million Uyghurs.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrands and retailers recognize there is a massive problem in the region, and that their supply chains are exposed to a grave risk of forced labour,\u201d said Scott Nova, head of the U.S.-based Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), which signed the letter.<\/p>\n

[…] A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the United States earlier this month said the accusation of forced labour in Xinjiang was \u201cboth false and malicious\u201d. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At CNN Business, Michelle Toh reports on comments from some of the companies urged against using cotton products from Xinjiang<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n

Some companies, such as PVH (PVH<\/a><\/span>), the US owner of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, told CNN Business that it was working on “reducing our supply chain footprint in China, which will result in us ending all business relationships with any factories and mills that produce garments or fabric, or use cotton grown, in Xinjiang within the next 12 months.” The move was in line with a broader long-term strategy that had already been in the works for several years, a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

And Big W, a discount department store chain operated by Australia’s Woolworths (WOLWF<\/a><\/span>) Group, said that while the company does not have any factories in Xinjiang, it acknowledged that “currently, we do not have visibility of the full supply chain of cotton.”<\/p>\n

“We are aware … that some of the cotton sourced via our suppliers is likely to be from this region and we are conducting further due diligence,” a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

But several companies \u2014 including Nike (NKE<\/a><\/span>), Puma and Adidas (ADDDF<\/a><\/span>)\u2014 denied that they sourced products from the region, and stressed that they had worked to eliminate problematic practices from their supply chains. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The NBA recently announced the severing of ties to a Xinjiang-based basketball training academy<\/a> after a U.S. senator wrote league executives a letter expressing concern in June<\/a>. An ESPN investigation also found abuse and mismanagement<\/a> at the NBA facility in Xinjiang. Late last year, the NBA became embroiled in a political firestorm<\/a> after a team general manager expressed support for the Hong Kong protests<\/a>, and cited massive revenue loss after China reciprocated by cancelling planned Chinese airings of games.<\/p>\n

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Asked if human rights abuses in #Xinjiang<\/a> led @NBA<\/a> to close academy, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum avoided the question: "Our job is not to take a position on every single human rights violation.\u201d https:\/\/t.co\/pvpur0RIGt<\/a> @SteveFainaru<\/a><\/p>\n

— Mark Fainaru-Wada (@markfwespn) July 29, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n