All Reading
This section contains a curated list of useful articles, investigations, books and other reading materials. The list is updated on a weekly basis and suggestions for additions are welcome.
Starting Points:
2022 Beijing Winter Olympics: China criticises US diplomatic boycott
China has condemned a planned US diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and threatened to retaliate. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China would take "resolute counter-measures" but did not give further details.
Leaked papers link top Chinese leaders to Uyghur crackdown
A newly published cache of documents directly links top Chinese leaders including President Xi Jinping to the state's crackdown on Uyghur Muslims. China has consistently denied that it is committing genocide against Uyghurs. Some of the documents were the subject of an earlier report, but the latest leak has previously unseen information.
How China’s past shapes Xi's thinking - and his view of the world
Heightened tensions with Taiwan have focused attention on China, with many wondering where President Xi Jinping sees his country on the world stage. Perhaps the past can provide some clues, writes Rana Mitter, a history professor at Oxford University.
China's ambassador Zheng Zeguang banned from UK Parliament
China's ambassador to the UK has been told he cannot come to Parliament while sanctions remain in place against a number of MPs and peers. The Chinese embassy said it was a "despicable and cowardly" decision that would harm both countries' interests.
The foreigners in China’s disinformation drive
Foreign video bloggers denouncing what they say is negative coverage of China on highly controversial subjects such as Xinjiang are attracting large numbers of subscribers on platforms like YouTube. In recent years, the "vloggers" have been increasingly presenting themselves as China-lovers, spreading Communist Party disinformation.
H&M: Fashion giant sees China sales slump after Xinjiang boycott
Swedish fashion giant H&M saw its sales slump in China, months after it became the target of a Chinese boycott. H&M was among several brands that raised concerns over alleged human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in China's Xinjiang province. Its statement led celebrities to cut ties with the brand and e-commerce platforms to drop H&M.
France investigates retailers over China forced labour claims
Retailers have hit back after authorities in France opened a "crimes against humanity" probe into their activities in China's Xinjiang region. French prosecutors are looking into accusations four fashion brands sourced goods made by forced labour from Uyghur Muslims in China. Uniqlo, Zara-owner Inditex and French textile firm SMCP deny the claims, while Skechers declined to comment.
Nike boss defends firm’s business in China
The boss of Nike has made a robust defence of the firm's business in China after facing a consumer boycott there. Chief executive John Donahoe said "Nike is a brand that is of China and for China" in response to a question about competition from Chinese brands. The comments come after the sportswear giant was recently hit by a backlash over statements about Xinjiang.
Government ‘dragging feet’ on China forced labour
The government is "dragging its feet" in taking action against UK companies linked to the use of forced labour in China's Xinjiang region, MPs have said. In March the Business department (Beis) vowed to sanction firms that could not prove they had no ties with Xinjiang. But it has refused to commit to "clear timeframes and substantive actions", the Beis Select Committee said.
Chinese birth-control policy could cut millions of Uyghur births, report finds
Chinese birth-control policies could reduce the ethnic minority population in southern Xinjiang by up to a third over the next 20 years, according to new analysis by a German researcher. The analysis concluded that regional policies could cut between 2.6 and 4.5 million minority births in that time. China denies the allegations, saying birth-rate declines have other causes.
China uses Uyghur forced labour to make solar panels, says report
The global production of solar panels is using forced labour from China's Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province, an investigation has found. Xinjiang produces about 45% of the world's supply of the key component, polysilicon, the research by the UK's Sheffield Hallam University says.
Uyghur imams targeted in China's Xinjiang crackdown
China has imprisoned or detained at least 630 imams and other Muslim religious figures since 2014 in its crackdown in the Xinjiang region, according to new research by a Uyghur rights group. Many of the detained clerics faced broad charges like "propagating extremism", "gathering a crowd to disturb social order", and "inciting separatism". According to testimony from relatives, the real crimes behind these charges are often things like preaching, convening prayer groups, or simply acting as an imam.
Why African countries back China on human rights
African countries are not among those calling out China for its treatment of the mostly Muslim Uyghur population in the north-western region of Xinjiang. In fact some African diplomats recently attended an event in Beijing and lauded China's policy in the region.
The cost of speaking up against China
Women who made allegations last month of rape and sexual abuse in Chinese detention camps have been harassed and smeared in the weeks since. Rights groups say the attacks are typical of an aggressive campaign by China to silence those who speak up.
China's Uighur camp detainees allege systematic rape
Women in China's "re-education" camps for Uighurs have been systematically raped, sexually abused, and tortured, according to detailed new accounts obtained by the BBC.
Their goal is to destroy everyone': Uighur camp detainees allege systematic rape
Women in China's "re-education" camps for Uighurs have been systematically raped, sexually abused, and tortured, according to detailed new accounts obtained by the BBC.
China’s ‘tainted’ cotton
China is forcing hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other minorities into hard, manual labour in the vast cotton fields of its western region of Xinjiang, according to new research seen by the BBC. Based on newly discovered online documents, it provides the first clear picture of the potential scale of forced labour in the picking of a crop that accounts for a fifth of the world’s cotton supply and is used widely throughout the global fashion industry.
China Uighurs: Detainees 'free' after 'graduating', official says
A senior Chinese official has said that all of the people sent to detention centres in the western region of Xinjiang have now been released. Regional government chairman Shohrat Zakir told reporters those held in what Beijing say are "re-education camps" had now "graduated".
Searching for truth in China's Uighur 're-education' camps
Rights groups say hundreds of thousands have been detained in Xinjiang camps without trial, but China argues they voluntarily attend centres which combat "extremism". The BBC went inside one of them.
China’s hidden camps
China is accused of locking up hundreds of thousands of Muslims without trial in its western region of Xinjiang. The government denies the claims, saying people willingly attend special “vocational schools” which combat “terrorism and religious extremism”.
Now a BBC investigation has found important new evidence of the reality.