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Adrian Zenz

@adrianzenz.bsky.social
927 followers 479 following 99 posts

Director in China Studies, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Member, European Commission Expert Group on Forced Labor. Research: Xinjiang, Tibet, ILO, state-imposed forced labor, OSINT. victimsofcommunism.org/leader/adria…

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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Uyghur Human Rights Project @uhrp.org · 20/08/2026
✈️ Beijing now allows some diaspora Uyghurs to visit East Turkistan, but they face interrogation & pressure to surveil others. China exploits family separation to influence & silence Uyghurs abroad, write @adrianzenz.bsky.social, Muetter Tohti. @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2026/08/12/c...
foreignpolicy.com
China Is Finding New Ways to Coerce Uyghurs Abroad
Beijing is a pioneer in softer tools of transnational repression.
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Zhang observed how Uyghur culture is now nearly extinct: the village he worked in has been largely emptied of working-age adults — many are in prison or shipped away for forced labor. Speaking Uyghur is prohibited in schools. Mosques are closed or guarded 24/7.
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Magnus Fiskesjö @magnusfiskesjoe.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Now let's see ... the hordes of pro-Beijing govt trolls like Vijay Prashad won't like a Chinese policeman with the inside scoop on China's ongoing torture genocide. Xinjiang’s Repression of Uyghurs Has Evolved, Not Ended foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/16/c... From the brilliant scholar, Adrian Zenz
foreignpolicy.com
Xinjiang’s Repression of Uyghurs Has Evolved, Not Ended
A rare insider testimony reveals how China tries to hide state violence in Xinjiang
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
UK 🇬🇧 🤝 🇺🇦 □ @ukbastard.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Xinjiang’s Repression of Uyghurs Has Evolved, Not Ended A rare insider testimony reveals how China tries to hide state violence in Xinjiang archive.is/en7Mq
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
NEW EVIDENCE: Former Xinjiang police officer (2014–2023) confirms that detentions and forced labor continue today. From 2023, officials detained Uyghurs who avoided forced labor or allegedly disobeyed state orders. Thread below: foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/16/c...
foreignpolicy.com
Xinjiang’s Repression of Uyghurs Has Evolved, Not Ended
A rare insider testimony reveals how China tries to hide state violence in Xinjiang
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Mandatory reading for two types of people: 1) "I just want to China, it was awesome." 2) "China is taking over the world, stop resisting and just submit."
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
NEW EVIDENCE: Former Xinjiang police officer (2014–2023) confirms that detentions and forced labor continue today. From 2023, officials detained Uyghurs who avoided forced labor or allegedly disobeyed state orders. Thread below: foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/16/c...
foreignpolicy.com
Xinjiang’s Repression of Uyghurs Has Evolved, Not Ended
A rare insider testimony reveals how China tries to hide state violence in Xinjiang
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
"Irreparable harm": Critical new statement from UN Special Procedures highlights strategic nexus between land seizure and an alarming increase in forced labor transfers in Xinjiang and Tibet. Thread: www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
ohchr.org
UN experts alarmed by reports of forced labour of Uyghur, Tibetan and other minorities across China
GENEVA – UN experts* today expressed deep concern regarding persistent allegations of forced labour affecting Uyghur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz minority groups as well as Tibetans within the Xinjiang Uyghur A...
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
I am honored to be appointed to the European Commission's Expert Group on Forced Labor, informing guidelines and indicators for the EU Forced Labor Regulation (EUFLR) through expert meetings in Brussels. 2026 will be pivotal for EUFLR implementation. My focus will be on state-imposed forced labor.
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
"Irreparable harm": Critical new statement from UN Special Procedures highlights strategic nexus between land seizure and an alarming increase in forced labor transfers in Xinjiang and Tibet. Thread: www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...
ohchr.org
UN experts alarmed by reports of forced labour of Uyghur, Tibetan and other minorities across China
GENEVA – UN experts* today expressed deep concern regarding persistent allegations of forced labour affecting Uyghur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz minority groups as well as Tibetans within the Xinjiang Uyghur A...
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
I am honored to be appointed to the European Commission's Expert Group on Forced Labor, informing guidelines and indicators for the EU Forced Labor Regulation (EUFLR) through expert meetings in Brussels. 2026 will be pivotal for EUFLR implementation. My focus will be on state-imposed forced labor.
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Great to see the International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS) officially launch. I am proud to be part of it. sheffield.ac.uk/las/news/new...
sheffield.ac.uk
New website launched for the International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS)
The International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS), led by Dr David Tobin, has launched its website, bringing together researchers from around the world to share critical, policy-relevant wo...
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Major victory: Chinese tomato exports to Italy collapse, following our research report & BBC investigation into tomato-linked Uyghur forced labor and land-grabbing. Official 2025 customs data confirms the collapse. Over 2/3 of China’s tomato exports are linked to Xinjiang. Report links below:
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Excited to see our 136-page report on Uyghur forced labor in Xinjiang's agricultural production & land grabbing now published with University of Sheffield's International Network for Critical China Studies. sites.google.com/sheffield.ac...
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Great to see the International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS) officially launch. I am proud to be part of it. sheffield.ac.uk/las/news/new...
sheffield.ac.uk
New website launched for the International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS)
The International Network for Critical China Studies (INCCS), led by Dr David Tobin, has launched its website, bringing together researchers from around the world to share critical, policy-relevant wo...
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Major victory: Chinese tomato exports to Italy collapse, following our research report & BBC investigation into tomato-linked Uyghur forced labor and land-grabbing. Official 2025 customs data confirms the collapse. Over 2/3 of China’s tomato exports are linked to Xinjiang. Report links below:
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Next week we hold our annual China Forum in Washington, DC, with panels on Transnational Repression, Uyghur forced labor, responding to China's global agenda, and the rising challenge of techno-authoritarianism. Registration link and list of speakers below: 👇
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Next week we hold our annual China Forum in Washington, DC, with panels on Transnational Repression, Uyghur forced labor, responding to China's global agenda, and the rising challenge of techno-authoritarianism. Registration link and list of speakers below: 👇
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
At #APSA2025 in Vancouver, I was privileged to present papers on Investigative Policy Analysis, the research methodology I use to uncover Xinjiang's policies, and on the information-coercion nexus in authoritarian repression. The venue featured stunning panoramic views.
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Systemic Coercion, Forced Labor, and Land Grabbing in Xinjiang's Agricultural Sector: Our recent research report provides a detailed analysis of the systemic, state-imposed forced labor present throughout Xinjiang's agricultural sector. THREAD:
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Systemic Coercion, Forced Labor, and Land Grabbing in Xinjiang's Agricultural Sector: Our recent research report provides a detailed analysis of the systemic, state-imposed forced labor present throughout Xinjiang's agricultural sector. THREAD:
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
The Cost of Silence: Reflections Three Years After the Xinjiang Police Files Leak Powerful op-ed by Rahima Mahmut: "despite the outcry that followed, despite the condemnations and calls for justice, we have seen very little in the way of concrete action" bitterwinter.org/the-cost-of-...
bitterwinter.org
The Cost of Silence: Reflections Three Years After the Xinjiang Police Files Leak
The Files should have generated robust policies against companies profiting from slave labour in the Uyghur region. In the UK, it did not happen.
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Major media investigation finds thousands of Uyghurs forced to work in 75 factories across 11 Chinese regions, with links to major western companies. I supported this joint investigation into state-imposed forced labor transfers by @nytimes.com @spiegel.de @tbij.bsky.social. THREAD: 👇
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Major media investigation finds thousands of Uyghurs forced to work in 75 factories across 11 Chinese regions, with links to major western companies. I supported this joint investigation into state-imposed forced labor transfers by @nytimes.com @spiegel.de @tbij.bsky.social. THREAD: 👇
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
It was my privilege to write the foreword for "Unbroken", the testimony and story of @rushanabbas.bsky.social. This powerful book details Rushan's activism and her inspiring fight for her imprisoned sister despite targeted smear campaigns and continued opposition. 🧵
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
It was my pleasure to contribute analysis and internal Chinese state documents to this important investigation.
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
Today I joined a panel on Uyghur women's reproductive rights violations as a side event of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), alongside @rushanabbas.bsky.social, @sophiedrich.bsky.social, organized by @cuyghurs.bsky.social. Related recent publication: www.cjlpa.org/post/sexual-...
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
Today I joined a panel on Uyghur women's reproductive rights violations as a side event of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), alongside @rushanabbas.bsky.social, @sophiedrich.bsky.social, organized by @cuyghurs.bsky.social. Related recent publication: www.cjlpa.org/post/sexual-...
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
Essay by @jwassers.bsky.social on the eerie parallels between Thailand's deportation of Uyghurs in 2015 and recently in 2025. www.npr.org/2025/03/08/n...
npr.org
Opinion: Thailand's deportation of Uyghurs to China has echoes of 10 years ago
Thailand's recent deportations of Uyghurs to China have eerie parallels with a large deportation in 2015, in which the country bowed to Beijing, writes historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom.
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Pleased to see my latest work on the evolution of Xinjiang's mass re-education published in the Journal of Contemporary China. It draws on new internal state files & and witness accounts to assess the policy evolution of the mass internments between 2013-2018. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
Innovating Repression: Policy Experimentation and the Evolution of Beijing’s Re-Education Campaign in Xinjiang
This article argues that Beijing’s campaign of mass internment in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region evolved through a creative local policy experimentation process. This resulted in an ‘innovat...
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Devastating development: 40 Uyghurs have been sent from Thailand to Xinjiang where they face severe rights abuses. China's embassy in Thailand posts pictures parading "Chinese illegal immigrants," claiming that after "fulfilling relevant legal procedures" they will be "returned to normal life."
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Devastating development: 40 Uyghurs have been sent from Thailand to Xinjiang where they face severe rights abuses. China's embassy in Thailand posts pictures parading "Chinese illegal immigrants," claiming that after "fulfilling relevant legal procedures" they will be "returned to normal life."
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Pleased to see my latest work on the evolution of Xinjiang's mass re-education published in the Journal of Contemporary China. It draws on new internal state files & and witness accounts to assess the policy evolution of the mass internments between 2013-2018. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
Innovating Repression: Policy Experimentation and the Evolution of Beijing’s Re-Education Campaign in Xinjiang
This article argues that Beijing’s campaign of mass internment in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region evolved through a creative local policy experimentation process. This resulted in an ‘innovat...
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Major scandal in France as @decathlonfrance.bsky.social, the world's biggest sports equipment retailer, is linked to Uyghur forced labor. On undercover video, Chinese staff confirm use of Xinjiang cotton. I supported this investigation with detailed research & analysis. Sources in thread.
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
Important new report of ILO's Committee of Experts notes "widespread" forced labor in both Xinjiang and Tibet, affecting a wide range of industrial and agricultural sectors, and accompanied by land dispossession of ethnic farmers. Thread: www.ilo.org/sites/defaul...
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
Important new report of ILO's Committee of Experts notes "widespread" forced labor in both Xinjiang and Tibet, affecting a wide range of industrial and agricultural sectors, and accompanied by land dispossession of ethnic farmers. Thread: www.ilo.org/sites/defaul...
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Major scandal in France as @decathlonfrance.bsky.social, the world's biggest sports equipment retailer, is linked to Uyghur forced labor. On undercover video, Chinese staff confirm use of Xinjiang cotton. I supported this investigation with detailed research & analysis. Sources in thread.
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Laura Wattie @lyrafay.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
My great grandfather, Sir James Wattie is rolling in his grave
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
A New Zealand household brand is implicated in Uyghur forced labor: Wattie's (Kraft Heinz) imported tomatoes from COFCO, a Xinjiang state-owned company involved in forced labor transfers. This is based on our recent research on Xinjiang's agricultural production. www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3605...
stuff.co.nz
Beloved Kiwi company embroiled in forced labour controversy
One of NZ’s most trusted brands is accused of importing product tainted with forced labour.
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 19/01/2025
48 Uyghurs in Thailand are now in imminent danger of deportation to Xinjiang, where they face prison and torture. They have gone on hunger strike, underscoring the urgency of their predicament. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/19/w...
nytimes.com
Fearing Deportation, Uyghurs Held in Thailand Go on Hunger Strike
Dozens of men from the ethnic minority sought escape from repression in China a decade ago, but have been detained in Thailand ever since.
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Urgent crisis: Uyghur refugees detained in Thailand say they are to be extradited to China — as a favor for Beijing over this year's 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China. apnews.com/article/uygh...
apnews.com
Uyghurs detained in Thailand say they face deportation and persecution in China
A group of Uyghurs who were detained in Thailand over a decade ago say that the Thai government is preparing to deport them to China, alarming activists who say the men are at risk of abuse and tortur...
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Alison Killing @alisonkilling.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Forced labour is a huge and expanding concern in Xinjiang - some is linked to prisons and detention facilities, but much involves forcing people to give up their land, or work for state-linked agriculture business. Latest research from Adrian Zenz papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
<span>Forced Labor, Coercive Land-Use Transfers, and Forced Assimilation in Xinjiang’s Agricultural Production</span>
<span>This report demonstrates that agricultural products from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in China, such as tomatoes, peppers, marigolds, and
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
Following our report, French magazine @liberation.fr went into Paris stores to check cosmetics products with pepper-based ingredients. Our research implicated Xinjiang's pepper industry in forced labor, land grabbing and abuses involving major pepper producers:🧵 www.liberation.fr/lifestyle/be...
liberation.fr
Comment savoir si mes cosmétiques contiennent de l’extrait de poivron rouge issu du travail forcé des Ouïghours ?
Des doutes planent sur cet ingrédient utilisé par l’industrie cosmétique et issu en partie de la production agricole dans le Xinjiang. Il s’avère impossible d’en remonter la trace. «Libé» a fait le te...
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Uyghur forced labor fuels China’s food exports If you don't have time to read the 135-pages report, this op-ed summarizes the key takeaways. thehill.com/opinion/inte...
thehill.com
Is that slavery on your pasta? Uyghur forced labor fuels China’s food exports
China’s Xinjiang region is using agricultural industrialization to dismantle traditional communities and exploit Uyghur farmers, resulting in tainted products entering global supply chains an…
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Our latest research documents mass land-grabbing and forced labor in Xinjiang's tomato and pepper production, rendering thousands of Uyghurs landless & forced to work for Chinese agribusinesses. We implicate Kraft Heinz, Del Monte & other brands in Uyghur forced labor and land transfer schemes.
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Uyghur forced labor fuels China’s food exports If you don't have time to read the 135-pages report, this op-ed summarizes the key takeaways. thehill.com/opinion/inte...
thehill.com
Is that slavery on your pasta? Uyghur forced labor fuels China’s food exports
China’s Xinjiang region is using agricultural industrialization to dismantle traditional communities and exploit Uyghur farmers, resulting in tainted products entering global supply chains an…
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Dean Pinkert @pinkerdea.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Outstanding research!
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Our latest research documents mass land-grabbing and forced labor in Xinjiang's tomato and pepper production, rendering thousands of Uyghurs landless & forced to work for Chinese agribusinesses. We implicate Kraft Heinz, Del Monte & other brands in Uyghur forced labor and land transfer schemes.
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Reposted by Adrian Zenz
Phelim Kine @phelimkine.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Expert on the Xinjiang Uyghur genocide @adrianzenz.bsky.social warns on how @elonmusk may influence China policy after Donald Trump assumes office next month via @politico.com China Watcher www.politico.eu/newsletter/c...
politico.eu
GOP bristles at China travel advisory
Decoding transatlantic relations with Beijing. By PHELIM KINE Send tips here | Tweet @PhelimKine | Subscribe for free | View in your browser Hi, China Watchers. Today we look at GOP criticism of th…
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Adrian Zenz @adrianzenz.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
NEW: Canada sanctions Xinjiang's governor Erkin Tuniyaz over extensive "government-led repression" targeting the region's ethnic groups. Also on the sanctions list is now Chen Quanguo. The only other country that has sanctioned Erkin Tuniyaz is the US. Europe has not even sanctioned Chen Quanguo.
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