Nihilism, Denialism, and Annihilation in New Xinjiang White Paper

Arran Hope

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Xi Jinping’s personal imprimatur on the Party-state’s policies in Xinjiang are unambiguous, according to a new white paper published to coincide with a central-level delegation to the region in late September.

The Party uses cultural and historical arguments to justify its ongoing policies of cultural erasure in the region that have been characterized by governments, parliaments, and other entities as genocidal. The white paper celebrates many of these policies.

In defiance of Western measures aimed at curbing human rights abuses, the government actively provides support to sanctioned entities, while senior officials reject accusations of forced labor, instead blaming the United States for “unemployment” in the region.

Beijing’s quest to normalize the situation in Xinjiang is part of a broader project that sees the region as strategically important, opening up the country to deeper trade and connectivity with Eurasia as part of its ultimate pursuit of national rejuvenation.

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s centrality to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) project in Xinjiang is unambiguously clear in a new white paper issued by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). Titled “CPC Guidelines for Governing Xinjiang in the New Era: Practice and Achievements” (新时代党的治疆方略的成功实践), the document has been released to coincide with a central-level delegation Xi led to the region to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the region’s founding under the PRC (CCTV, September 23). The text reads as a triumphal vindication of the Party’s work. Pushing back against international human rights concerns, it is also replete with Orwellian passages eulogizing Xinjiang’s advances in democratic processes and human rights (Xinhua, September 20).

The white paper reveals three aspects of Xi’s Xinjiang policies: nihilism, denialism, and annihilation. First, it pushes a conception of Chinese history, culture, and civilization that provides a theoretical underpinning for the Party’s domination of the region. Second, it denies evidence of genocidal actions, instead blaming the United States and other external powers for causing unrest in the region. Third, it celebrates policies of cultural erasure that seek to annihilate distinct cultural and religious practices in pursuit of forging a unitary ethnonational conception of the “Chinese nation” (中华民族).