Xinjiang Vocational Education and Training Centers

The Xinjiang Vocational Education and Training Centers are facilities operated by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region government in China. These facilities were built in response to a series of terrorist attacks by an insurgency of Islamist separatists, referred to as the Xinjiang Conflict. China accuses the United States of having supported these terrorists, similar to how the CIA cultivated extremist proxies in Operation Cyclone which later evolved into Al Qaeda.

While the West carries out its so-called "war on terror" with bombs, China has taken a different approach; by investing in vocational and educational facilities, the Chinese government seeks to offer a more stable and prosperous life to would-be recruits into such extremist organizations.

Use in propaganda warfare

As part of the West's New Cold War against China, many Western media outlets have accused China of "operating concentration camps" in the Xinjiang region. These allegations have been debunked on non-Western media outlets, as well as the sparse alternative media outlets within the West. This is a clear example of information warfare.

Debunking the Lies

A UN Resolution of global south nations

We express our firm opposition to relevant countries’ practice of politicizing human rights issues, by naming and shaming, and publicly exerting pressures on other countries. We commend China’s remarkable achievements in the field of human rights by adhering to the people-centered development philosophy and protecting and promoting human rights through development. We also appreciate China’s contributions to the international human rights cause.

World Bank Investigation of Xinjiang

When allegations are made, the World Bank takes them seriously and reviews them thoroughly. In line with standard practice, immediately after receiving a series of serious allegations in August 2019 in connection with the Xinjiang Technical and Vocational Education and Training Project, the Bank launched a fact-finding review, and World Bank senior managers traveled to Xinjiang to gather information directly... The team conducted a thorough review of project documents, engaged in discussions with project staff, and visited schools directly financed by the project, as well as their partner schools that were the subject of allegations. The review did not substantiate the allegations.

Organization of Islamic Cooperation praises Chinese handling of Xinjiang

Welcomes the outcomes of the visit conducted by the General Secretariat's delegation upon invitation from the People's Republic of China; commends the efforts of the People's Republic of China in providing care to its Muslim citizens; and looks forward to further cooperation between the OIC and the People's Republic of China.

Egyptian media delegates visit Xinjiang

The recently published report also brings forth some interesting facts related to the religious freedom as opposed to the western propaganda. The report provides a strong testimonial by the visiting delegates who clearly state, “the in houses of worship such as the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar, modern facilities abound, providing water, electricity and air conditioning. Local clerics told the visitors that their religious activities had been very well protected”. "The conditions here are very good," said Abdelhalim Elwerdany, of Egypt's Al-Gomhuria newspaper. "I could feel that local Muslims fully enjoy religious freedom."

These training centers have helped to de-radicalize those who might’ve been susceptible to appeals by extremist forces.

Criticism

Although information about the education and training centers are distorted by Western propaganda, the legal basis behind these centers are too broad and can be exploited to follow the political interests of Chinese leaders contrary to the interests of the people in the region. The "Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Regulation on De-extremification", adopted in 2017 considers that extremism includes "rejecting or refusing public goods and services such as radio and television", "wearing, or compelling others to wear, burqas with face coverings, or to bear symbols of extremification", without clearly denoting what these symbols are, and "spreading religious fanaticism through irregular beards or name selection".

The Chinese government claimed these centers have provided "vocational training" to nearly 1.3 million people from 2014 to 2019, which is about 10% the population of Uygurs in the region, indicating that the policies do not seem to target solely extremists, but the population as a whole.