UN Report: 'Reasonable to Conclude' Forced Labor Regime Exists in China

Facts

• A UN special report published on Tues. said it was "reasonable to conclude" that state-backed forced labor among Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China has been occurring in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, particularly in sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing.
• Tomoya Obokata, the UN's special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, said in the report that evidence of forced labor existed within the region's system of "vocational skills education and training" centers, as well as a poverty alleviation program that involves transferring unemployed rural workers to other work.
• Obokata recognized that these programs may create employment opportunities for minorities and improve their incomes, as is claimed by the Chinese government. However, he concluded that there are indicators pointing to the involuntary nature of work in many cases.
• The 20-page report - which is based on an independent assessment of available information including stakeholder submissions, victim testimony, and government accounts - also covered slavery-related issues and concerns in other countries.
• Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin rejected the findings and dismissed all accusations of abuse in Xinjiang. He also alleged that the special rapporteur had abused his power to "patently smear China and act as a political tool of anti-China forces."
• Special rapporteurs are independent appointees asked to investigate specific rights issues in certain regions and to make policy recommendations. The office doesn't, however, represent an official UN position.

Sources: Newsweek, Al Jazeera, Reuters, BNN Bloomberg, and Scmp.

Narratives

• Anti-China narrative, as provided by VOA. The case substantiating allegations of Chinese atrocities in Xinjiang continues to build. It's now impossible for UN agencies and member states to ignore these crimes against humanity. The UN office on Genocide Prevention should immediately assess and respond to Chinese government actions against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the region.
• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global Times. Claims about forced labor in China are baseless accusations designed as a political tool to curb Chinese development, all under the pretext of human rights. The West should first confront its own abuses before smearing China; perhaps the US should be investigated for its reprehensible treatment of immigrants, or for its more than 500k child agricultural laborers working under extreme conditions with little to no protection.

Predictions