China wants to “wash” the image of Xinjiang through tourism agencies
Chinese authorities are inviting Western tourism agencies to Xinjiang in order to improve the image of the region for foreign tourists, reports the British newspaper The Times. According to the newspaper, there are hundreds of agencies.
The region came to the attention of the world in the early 2010s after the Chinese government established “re-education camps” where people from the Uyghur ethnic minority were forced to.
One of the tour operators says that they were invited to see holy Muslim sites and that there is a great diversity, and that “Western propaganda” gives the wrong picture.
According to international observers, thousands of holy sites have been destroyed or damaged, and one expert says that the trips follow a carefully planned route.
Expert: China shows what they want us to see
China has made an effort to make it appear that reports of oppression against the Uyghur minority group were fabricated by the US. This is what China expert Timothy Grose tells The Times.
According to the British newspaper, Western agencies are invited to the Xinjiang region, to see a predetermined route that shows no signs of oppression.
– So if people get to see it for themselves, and don't see any internment camps, cultural destruction or forced labor, then it will be a powerful message.
Chinese authorities are inviting Western tourism agencies to Xinjiang in order to improve the image of the region for foreign tourists, reports the British newspaper The Times. According to the newspaper, there are hundreds of agencies.
The region came to the attention of the world in the early 2010s after the Chinese government established “re-education camps” where people from the Uyghur ethnic minority were forced to.
One of the tour operators says that they were invited to see holy Muslim sites and that there is a great diversity, and that “Western propaganda” gives the wrong picture.
According to international observers, thousands of holy sites have been destroyed or damaged, and one expert says that the trips follow a carefully planned route.
Expert: China shows what they want us to see
China has made an effort to make it appear that reports of oppression against the Uyghur minority group were fabricated by the US. This is what China expert Timothy Grose tells The Times.
According to the British newspaper, Western agencies are invited to the Xinjiang region, to see a predetermined route that shows no signs of oppression.
– So if people get to see it for themselves, and don't see any internment camps, cultural destruction or forced labor, then it will be a powerful message.
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