Xinjiang Vocational Education and Training Centers

The Xinjiang Vocational Education and Training Centers are facilities operated by the Xinjiang Uyghur 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 (see the terrorism section in the XUAR page).

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. Following a critical assessment by the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) released on August 31, 2022, the People's Republic of China released a report accusing the assessment of misrepresenting China's laws and policies. The report documented the numerous terror attacks in Xinjiang and coming out of Xinjiang and laid out the policies of the VETCs so as to stress the soundness of their adherence to the principles of human rights protection.

Historical and material context of the Autonomous Region

It is important to take note that Xinjiang has been an inseparable part of China since that time, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was established in 1955 under the PRC. The vast areas both north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, called the Western Regions in ancient times, were in close contact with the Central Plains as early as the pre-Qin period (c. 2100-221 BC). With the establishment of the unified feudal dynasties Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-AD 220), multi-ethnic unification has been the norm in China’s historical development. In 60 BC, the government of the Western Han Dynasty established the Western Regions Frontier Command in Xinjiang, officially making Xinjiang a part of Chinese territory

The Uyghur People

Xinjiang has been a multi-ethnic region since ancient times. Down the ages, ethnic groups of various kinds have lived in the region and communicated with each other. By the end of the 19th century, 13 ethnic groups – the Uygur, Han, Kazak, Mongolian, Hui, Kirgiz, Manchu, Xibe, Tajik, Daur, Uzbek, Tatar, and Russian – had settled in Xinjiang, with the Uyghurs having the largest population.

The Uyghur ethnic group came into being through a long process of migration and ethnic integration though they are not descendants of the Turks. The main ancestors of the Uyghurs were the Ouigour people who lived on the Mongolian Plateau during the Sui and Tang dynasties. Historically as a way to resist oppression and slavery by the Turks, the Ouigour people united with some of the Tiele tribes to form the Ouigour tribal alliance.

After the Uyghur Khanate suffered a major defeat in 840, some of them moved inland to live among the Han people, while the rest of the surviving Uyghurs were divided into three sub-groups. One of which moved to the Turpan Basin and the modern Jimsar region, where they founded the Gaochang Uygur Kingdom. Another moved to the Hexi Corridor, where they merged with local ethnic groups to become what was later known as the Yugu people. The third sub-group moved to the west of Pamir, scattered in areas from Central Asia to Kashgar, and joined the Karluk and Yagma peoples in founding the Karahan Kingdom. There they merged with the Han people in the Turpan Basin and the Yanqi, Qiuci, Yutian, Shule, and other peoples in the Tarim Basin to form the main body of the modern Uygur group.

Rise of religious terrorism

The historical multireligious nature of Xinjiang

In primitive society, the residents of Xinjiang once followed a primitive religion from which Shamanism evolved. Later, a succession of religions popular in the East and the West were introduced into Xinjiang via the Silk Road, the first of which was Zoroastrianism.

Around the first century BC, Buddhism was introduced into Xinjiang and gradually became the major religion, coexisting with many other religions. From the 4th to the 10th century, Buddhism reached its peak, while in the same period Zoroastrianism proliferated throughout Xinjiang, particularly in the Turpan area. Around the fifth century, Taoism was introduced into Xinjiang, becoming prevalent mainly in Turpan and Hami. It spread to most parts of Xinjiang and experienced a revival during the Qing Dynasty.

In the sixth century, Manichaeism and Nestorianism were introduced into Xinjiang. From the 10th to the 14th century, Nestorianism flourished as the Uyghur and some other peoples converted to it in many parts of Xinjiang. In the late ninth and early 10th century, Islam was introduced into southern Xinjiang, changing the religious profile of Xinjiang again. After the Karahan Khanate accepted Islam, in the mid-10th century it launched a religious war against the Buddhist Kingdom of Yutian, and the war lasted for more than 40 years. In the early 11th century, the Karahan Khanate conquered Yutian and imposed Islam in that region. Thereafter, Islam dominated southern Xinjiang while Buddhism dominated northern Xinjiang. In the mid-14th century, the rulers of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate spread Islam to the northern edge of the Tarim Basin, the Turpan Basin and Hami by war and compulsion. By the early 16th century many religions coexisted in Xinjiang, with Islam being the predominant religion. Beginning in the 18th century, Protestantism, Catholicism, and the Eastern Orthodox Church were introduced into Xinjiang. Islam has ever since been the principal religion in Xinjiang, coexisting with a number of other religions.

Modern Religious Extremism

At the turn of the 20th century, separatists and religious extremists both in and outside China, inherited the so-called theories of “Pan-Turkism” and “Pan-Islamism” which were created by former colonialists, spread the word that Uyghurs were the only “masters” of Xinjiang, that the ethnic cultures of Xinjiang were not of Chinese culture, and that Islam was the only religion practiced by ethnic groups of Xinjiang. They incited all ethnic groups speaking Turki and believing in Islam to join together in creating the theocratic state of so-called “East Turkistan”. They denied the history that China was jointly built by all its ethnic groups, and clamored for “opposition to all ethnic groups other than Turks” and for the “annihilation of pagans”.

From the early 20th century onto the late 1940s, these ideas were pushed forward by “East Turkistan” forces who wanted to create their own state in Xinjiang. In 1915, the separatist Maswud returned to Ili, opened a school and publicly preached separatism to the students. On November 12, 1933, Mohammad Imin founded the so-called “East Turkistan Islamic Republic”, but the farce ended in less than three months due to strong opposition from the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

On November 12, 1944, another group of separatists led by Elihan Torae founded the so-called “Republic of East Turkistan”, which soon collapsed a year later. Afterwards, a series of separatist organizations and individuals continued their subversive and separatist activities under the banner of “East Turkistan” in a vain attempt to establish their own state.

The “East Turkistan” forces, however, have not resigned themselves to defeat. With the support of international anti-China forces, the “East Turkistan” forces have resorted to all means, both fair or foul, to organize, plan and carry out acts of separatism and sabotage. In the early 1950s the separatists instigated many riots in Xinjiang, calling on Uyghurs to “unite under the moon-and-star banner to create a republic of Islam”. In the 1960s there were the riots in Ili and Tacheng on the China-Russia border, the riot of the “East Turkistan People’s Revolutionary Party”, and the armed rebellion of the Gang of Ahongnof in southern Xinjiang. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, religious extremism had made further inroads into Xinjiang. It soon blended with terrorism to stir up social unrest in the region, seriously undermining local stability and security.

Since the 1990s, especially after the September 11 attacks in the US, the “East Turkistan” forces inside and outside China have stepped up their collaboration as terrorism and extremism spread around the globe, trying desperately to establish “East Turkistan” through struggle. In the name of ethnicity and religion, they deceitfully used people’s ethnic identity and religious belief to instigate religious fanaticism, spread religious extremism, and incite the common people to join in violent and terrorist activities. They brainwashed people with these beliefs, abetting them to “die for their belief in order to enter heaven”. Some of the most susceptible followers, no longer possessed of any self-control, became extremists and terrorists who heartlessly slaughtered innocent people.

For a long time separatists have tied extremism to religion, to religious believers, and to society as a whole. They tell people not to obey anyone but Allah and incite them to resist government management. They abuse those who do not follow the path of extremism as pagans, traitors and scum, urging their followers to verbally assault, reject, and isolate non-believers, Party members and officials, and patriotic religious individuals. They deny and reject all forms of secular culture, preaching a life without TV, radio and newspaper, forbidding people to weep at funerals or laugh at weddings, imposing bans on singing and dancing, and forcing women to wear heavily-veiled black long gowns. They over-generalize the “Halal” concept, stamping food, medicine, cosmetics, clothing, etc. with the Halal symbol. They turn a blind eye to the diverse and splendid cultures of Xinjiang created by all its ethnic groups, trying to sever the ties between the Chinese culture and the ethnic cultures of Xinjiang.

Nowadays, these groups generally operate under the name of ETIM, or East Turkestan Islamist Movement or the East Turkistan Party, which is affiliated with ETIM.

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."

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".