Chinese Government's Xinjiang Uyghur-Related SNS Posts Reach Record High

China Launches Public Opinion Campaign Using Domestic SNS Accounts
Experts Warn of Risk in Favorable Public Opinion Formation for China

Exterior view of a Uyghur detention camp located in the Xinjiang region of China [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Chinese authorities posted a record high number of propaganda posts related to the Uyghur region in Xinjiang on social networking services (SNS) last year. Amid criticism of human rights abuses against the Uyghur ethnic group, analysts suggest that the Chinese government has launched an organized public opinion campaign to conceal these issues.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 30th (local time), the Chinese government reportedly disseminated numerous posts on SNS last year claiming that the authorities' control and surveillance activities over the Uyghur population were beneficial to them.

Specifically, the number of posts related to the Uyghur ethnic group on the Twitter accounts of Chinese state media and diplomatic authorities averaged 500 per month last year, a significant increase from 280 the previous year.

In January last year, the state-run media outlet Global Times posted a story on its Facebook account about a Uyghur citizen who graduated from a 'vocational education institution' in Xinjiang, sharing his statement that he is "living a very happy life." The post reportedly received over 20,000 likes.

According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), which investigated these SNS posts by Chinese authorities, China is actively using SNS as a public opinion campaign to conceal allegations of Uyghur repression. ASPI stated, "The Facebook account of China's English news channel CGTN, which has over 110 million followers, features numerous posts related to Xinjiang," adding, "These Xinjiang-related posts have ranked first in likes on this account for three consecutive years." Last year alone, Xinjiang-related posts received over 5.8 million likes.

ASPI explained, "These SNS activities by China aim to spread positive public opinion about the country to the Western world as much as possible," and "Ultimately, the goal is to deter the Western world from imposing economic sanctions related to Xinjiang Uyghurs."

Furthermore, WSJ reported that China is responding to allegations of human rights abuses against the Uyghurs by comparing them to human rights violations in the Western world. Last week, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on their Twitter account a photo of Black laborers working under forced labor conditions on a farm in Mississippi in the early 20th century alongside a photo of Uyghurs smiling while cultivating cotton in Xinjiang. This is interpreted as an attempt to highlight that human rights abuses are actually committed by the Western world and to deny the allegations of repression against the Uyghurs.

Marieke Ohlberg, a senior researcher at the German Marshall Fund think tank, warned, "China's influence over overseas SNS should not be underestimated," adding, "Pro-China public opinion could be strengthened."

Previously, Western media such as the BBC raised allegations that Chinese authorities committed human rights abuses by mobilizing the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang for forced labor and detaining them in isolated camps. In response, China has denied these allegations, claiming that these camps are vocational education institutions for the Uyghurs.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.