Xinjiang

Its latest foreign-visitor policy shows that China is willing to be pragmatic, rather than adhering strictly to ideologies.

United Nations report warns US unilateral actions are hurting the very people they were supposed to be defending in China’s Xinjiang region.

While Congressional-Executive Commission on China has weaponised human and labour rights, Beijing should reciprocate by sanctioning America for widespread abuse and exploitation of prison labour.

If China has been committing genocide in Xinjiang, then what do we call what Israel and the United States are doing to the people of Palestine?

Allegedly employed as forced labourers in carmaking, cotton, aluminium, solar panels or any Chinese-run enterprise, Uygurs may have to work in indigenous craft to meet Western standards of human rights.

Alleging slave labour and drugs smuggling, some American senators are zoning in on how the country’s de minimis rule benefits Chinese companies. But levying duties on low-value shipments will only punish consumers and small businesses.

New foreign secretary may have declared ‘golden era’ with Beijing eight years ago when he was prime minister, but the political road map has changed.

Words to describe acts of killing such as homicide, infanticide and suicide entered English from the 13th century onwards. Genocide, with similar Latin, as well as Greek, roots was coined much later.

Israel thought it had dealt with the Palestinian problem. There are lessons here for the handling of Myanmar’s Rohingya, Indian Kashmir, and Taiwan and Xinjiang.

China understood the critical need for infrastructure, though it perhaps underestimated the challenges of putting together long-gestation infrastructure projects. Whatever the criticism and the numerous projects that have fallen short of expectations, there is infrastructure being built that would never otherwise have been built.

According to independent observers who visited the region, Beijing has implemented policies to help Uygurs after crushing terrorist threat.

After decades of delays over logistical and geopolitical disagreements, a rail link between China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan is set to begin construction. With Russia no longer objecting to it, the way is clear for a project that will boost Beijing’s economic ties and diplomatic influence within Central Asia.