The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has released a weekly brief detailing concerns over China's growing repression, surveillance, and extraterritorial influence, particularly through the newly enacted Ethnic Unity and Progress Law. Vice President Zumretay Arkin appeared on Al Jazeera's Inside Story on July 3, asserting that the law compels ethnic minorities to adopt a Chinese national identity, thereby eroding their cultural identities.
Extraterritorial Provisions and Transnational Repression
Arkin highlighted Article 63 of the law, arguing its extraterritorial scope could enable Beijing to intensify transnational repression against overseas activists and diaspora communities. The WUC also noted that Al Jazeera published an article on July 6 examining six genocides the United Nations has been accused of failing to prevent, including the persecution of Uyghurs since 2016, alongside atrocities in Rwanda, Srebrenica, Sudan, Gaza, and against the Rohingya.
International Criticism and Media Coverage
On the same day, Arkin published an opinion piece in the Canadian newspaper La Presse, reflecting on the 2009 Urumqi unrest. She argued that conditions for Uyghurs have worsened over the past 17 years and warned that the new law, combined with expanding propaganda efforts, poses growing challenges for Uyghurs living abroad. On July 8, Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs, wrote in Fox News that Beijing's policies extend beyond Xinjiang and threaten democratic societies, asserting that the authoritarian model used against Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Southern Mongolians also poses risks to Taiwan and other free societies.
Global Efforts Against Forced Labour
The WUC welcomed recent international efforts to combat forced labour, praising Canada's proposed Bill C-35, the United Kingdom's commitment to banning imports produced through forced labour, and new European Union guidelines implementing regulations that prohibit products made with forced labour from entering the EU market.
