China: Communist Party official calls for Sinicization of Islam in Xinjiang

The top Communist Party official in Xinjiang stated on Thursday that it is “inevitable” for Islam to become more “Sinicized” in the Muslim-majority northwest Chinese region, where Beijing is accused of violating human rights.

“Everyone knows that Islam in Xinjiang needs to be Sinicised, this is an inevitable trend,” regional party chief Ma Xingrui told reporters at a largely scripted briefing on the sidelines of China’s annual parliamentary sessions in Beijing.

The Uyghurs are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority in Xinjiang, numbering about 10 million. Rights groups accuse Beijing of mistreating them widely, including depriving them of their complete religious freedom. China vehemently disputes any wrongdoing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged adherents to prioritize their allegiance to the Communist Party and has frequently advocated for the “Sinicization” of religions, including Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity. An Australian think-tank analysis estimates that since 2017, over two-thirds of Xinjiang’s mosques have suffered damage or have been completely destroyed.

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Ma and other regional representatives attempted to portray Xinjiang as welcoming to global business and tourism during the press conference while also applauding the region’s economic growth and disputing American claims of forced labor and cultural genocide.

Ma, the eminent former governor of the affluent Guangdong province before being moved to Xinjiang in 2021, emphasized the significance of “coordinate security and development”.

“The three forces are still active now, but we cannot be afraid (to open up) because they exist,” said Ma, using a political slogan referring to “ethnic separatism, religious extremism and violent terrorist forces” in Xinjiang.

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Following a wave of ethnic riots in 2017, China allegedly initiated a harsh security crackdown in Xinjiang, resulting in the detention of over a million members of various Muslim minorities in re-education centers, according to rights groups.

“We have carried out a severe crackdown on terrorist activities, issued and implemented anti-terrorism laws to … combat various forms of terrorism,” senior Xinjiang parliamentarian Wang Mingshan told the local media.

However, the most of the briefing covered Xinjiang’s potential for tourism, economic growth, and what the authorities called “cultural preservation.”

According to the region’s chairman, Erkin Tuniyaz, Xinjiang received nearly 19 billion yuan ($2.6 billion) in fiscal aid from other provinces in addition to 565.7 billion yuan ($78.5 billion) in central government transfers last year, which accounted for 72.7% of local government spending.

Tuniyaz and former regional chairman Shohrat Zakir, two Xinjiang officials blacklisted by the US due to human rights violations in the region, flanked Ma.

Over 4,390 international visitors to Xinjiang in 2023, according to officials, and the region’s total installed renewable energy capacity of 22.61 million kilowatts last year brought it to 64.4 million kilowatts, or nearly half of Xinjiang’s power capacity.

A significant hub for the production of solar cells, Xinjiang has been marred by reports of forced labor.