China using families as 'hostages' to quash Uyghur dissent abroad
www.bbc.co.uk
Refugees and activists tell the BBC intimidation tactics are tearing apart Uyghur communities overseas.
  • fishtacos@lemmy.ml
    0·
    11 months ago

    I found this to be a decent enough primer: https://medium.com/@bobbyarlan/a-case-study-in-racist-anti-chinese-sentiment-fuelled-by-american-bots-and-western-propaganda-f0a69978d568

    A decent TLDR: The article argues that anti-Chinese propaganda spread by the U.S. and Western media is fueling racist sentiment. Claims of mass detention of Uyghurs are based on flawed studies and sources like Adrian Zenz, a far-right Christian fundamentalist. Atrocity propaganda is a common tactic used by the U.S. to justify wars. The U.S. is threatened by China’s economic rise and technological progress, so it is trying to portray China negatively and prepare public opinion for a potential conflict. However, most of the world sees China positively and as an economic opportunity, making a new Cold War against China unlikely to succeed

    In short, a lot of information about China that has come out of Western news media has been proven to be based on known biased sources, known anit-China rhetoric, and/or outright lies. It’s difficult to prove/disprove of any information specifically, that takes time and reporting, but a lot of people see the anti-China pattern in BBC reporting, and tend to dismiss it because of known history.

      • Fazoo@lemmy.ml
        0·
        11 months ago

        Or the fact we literally have drone and camera footage of mass arrests. I’m not one to view Vice these days, but one of their reporters went there and saw some rather suggestive situations as well.

        After Trump was so nice (dumb) enough to showcase just how clear US satellite photos are these days, one has to question why some here are so quick to cry in China’s defense. Especially after the very public take over of Hong Kong, you think an ethnic cleanse is out of the question?

        I’m sure some pro-Chinese twit will come rushing in with some whataboutism or a crack on US history, as if that excuses things.

        • OurToothbrush@lemmy.mlM
          02·
          11 months ago

          Especially after the very public take over of Hong Kong, you think an ethnic cleanse is out of the question?

          You’re projecting. China exempted ethnic minorities from the one child policy, that is how anti “han supremacist”(which itself is just white supremacist projection) they are.

          And the people of Hong Kong are 90 percent Han.

    • MacroCyclo@lemmy.ca
      0·
      11 months ago

      I think this flies a bit too far in the other direction. China is totalitarian. It is not a democracy. It is also increasingly antagonizing nations abroad. I think it is valid to consider it a threat if you are any other nation, period.

      Edit: Kinda like Russia

      • OurToothbrush@lemmy.mlM
        03·
        11 months ago

        How many seats are in the highest legislative body?

        What rights and responsibilities do autonomous regions within China have?

        What is the most distributed government legislative committee type and what is their role in the government?

        • yeather@lemmy.ca
          0·
          11 months ago

          1, Xi Xinping and whatever he says, doesn’t matter how many show ponys you fill the room with.

          1. In the end they all answer to the whims of the central government, which can change or remove and rights and responsibilities autonomous regions within China have.

          2. See answer one.

          • OurToothbrush@lemmy.mlM
            03·
            11 months ago

            So what I’m hearing is it doesn’t matter if you’re ignorant about the way China works because the US media told you Xi is an evil dictator who controls everything and you believed them. Got it.

    • A1kmm@lemmy.amxl.comEnglish
      0·
      11 months ago

      Apparently there is a PRC smear campaign against Adrian Zenz - https://www.mandiant.com/resources/blog/pro-prc-information-operations-campaign-haienergy, including by creating what Mandiant describes as what they “suspect to be at least three fabricated letters based on obvious grammatical errors and typos” to smear him - so I’d take anything that is ad hominem attacks against him rather than debating his actual work with a grain of salt.

      However, even if you don’t accept his writings, there are plenty of other people who have done credible research into the plight of the Uyghur people - e.g. resources contributed to https://xjdp.aspi.org.au/, such as articles like this one by Gene A. Bunin: https://livingotherwise.com/2021/01/04/the-elephant-in-the-xuar-ii-brand-new-prisons-expanding-old-prisons-and-hundreds-of-thousands-new-inmates/.