Arab League Visits Xinjiang Rejects Uyghur Genocide

14-06-2023

Marios Putro

South and East Asia Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

The Arab League is a confederation of 22 Arab nations founded in 1945 and whose main objective is improving coordination on common interests (Kashgar, 2023). Its charter promotes cooperation, repudiates violence, and mediates disputes, despite lacking enforcement mechanisms. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, they visited from May 30- June 2, and the members of the Arab League delegation held China’s efforts in Xinjiang in high regard and praised the region’s development and stability. Additionally, Wang stated at a press briefing in Beijing earlier this week that during their trip the delegation members traveled to Urumqi and Kashgar, where they visited mosques, Islamic institutes, local enterprises, old towns, and an exhibition on counterterrorism and de-radicalization, prayed in mosques with the locals, and got a firsthand experience of their happy life. He also stated that:

"Arab countries have commended the care that Muslims in Xinjiang and people of other ethnic minority groups have received and expressed their firm support for China’s effort to promote Xinjiang’s development and ensure its stability" (Kashgar, 2023). 

 There are various critics commenting on the endorsement of Arab League members for Chinese policies in Xinjiang that are at odds with the findings of the UN human rights office report. Abdulhakim Idris, director of the Washington-based Center for Uyghur Studies, claims that the Arab League delegation's visit and support of China’s policies in Xinjiang is part of a Chinese-led propaganda campaign to conceal the ongoing genocide of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. However, Idris also points out that the statements made by the delegation should be evaluated based on the context of economic and diplomatic ties between their countries and China (Kashgar, 2023).

"Today, China has made many countries from both the Arab world and the Muslim regions dependent on it economically and diplomatically," Idris said.

These countries are unable to defend the human rights of Muslim ethnic minorities as they prioritize the economic dependence on the rising global power of China. Instead, they deliberately choose to endorse and promote the explanations provided by the Chinese government (Kashgar, 2023).

Sources and further readings: 

Kashgar, K. (2023, June 10). Arab League Visits China’s Xinjiang Region, Rejects Uyghur Genocide. VOA. https://www.voanews.com/a/arab-league-visits-china-s-xinjiang-region-rejects-uyghur-genocide/7131285.html