Booming tourism in China’s far western Xinjiang province shows that all is good there, as said by China’s Foreign Ministry, amid growing international concern for human rights in the heavily Muslim region.Published on : Saturday, September 22, 2018
Booming tourism in China’s far western Xinjiang province shows that all is good there, as said by China’s Foreign Ministry, amid growing international concern for human rights in the heavily Muslim region.
Hundreds of people have been killed in Xinjiang in recent years due to the unrest between the Uighur minority and members of the ethnic Han Chinese majority. Reports of mass detentions and strict surveillance of Uighurs have given rise to a growing international outcry.
U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has called on China to allow in monitors, while the United States is thinking of sanctions against Chinese officials and companies those were linked to allegations of rights abuses in Xinjiang.
China has rejected all accusations of mistreatment in Xinjiang, but said that it would crack down on separatism and militancy.
In 2017, Xinjiang received more than 100 million domestic and overseas tourists. For the first seven months of this year, it received more than 78 million visits, going up by almost 40 percent on the same period a year earlier.
While Xinjiang is eager to promote itself as a tourist destination, foreign reporters who intend to visit would be kept under close surveillance by security forces.
Beijing says Xinjiang faces a serious threat from Islamist militants and separatists.
Tags: china, western Xinjiang