Updated October 5, 2020
Uyghurs in China
Uyghurs (also spelled “Uighurs”) are an ethnic group living
in Xinjiang increased from approximately 14,000 in 2013 to
primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
228,000 in 2017.
(XUAR) in the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) far
northwest. Uyghurs speak a Turkic language and practice a
Since 2017, in tandem with a new national policy referred
moderate form of Sunni Islam. The XUAR, often referred
to as “Sinicization,” XUAR authorities have instituted
to simply as Xinjiang (pronounced “SHIN-jyahng”), is a
measures to assimilate Uyghurs into Han Chinese society
provincial-level administrative region which comprises
and reduce the influences of Uyghur, Islamic, and Arabic
about one-sixth of China’s total land area and borders eight
cultures and languages. The XUAR government enacted a
countries. The region is rich in minerals, produces over
law in 2017 that prohibits “expressions of extremification”
80% of China’s cotton, and has China’s largest coal and
and placed restrictions, often imposed arbitrarily, upon
natural gas reserves and a fifth of its oil reserves. The
dress and grooming, practices of traditional Uyghur
XUAR is a strategic region for the PRC’s Belt and Road
customs, and adherence to Islamic dietary laws (halal).
Initiative, which includes Chinese-backed infrastructure
Thousands of mosques in Xinjiang reportedly have been
projects and energy development in neighboring Central
demolished or “Sinicized,” whereby Islamic motifs and
and South Asia.
Arabic writings have been removed. There have been
reports of a government campaign to forcefully reduce birth
rates among Turkic Muslims in the region.
Beginning in 2016, Chen Quanguo, the newly appointed
Communist Party Secretary of the XUAR, stepped up
security and surveillance measures aimed at the Uyghur
population. Such actions included the installation of
thousands of neighborhood police kiosks, more intrusive
monitoring of Internet use, and the collection of biometric
data for identification purposes. The central government
sent an estimated one million officials and state workers
from outside Xinjiang, mostly ethnic Han, to live
temporarily in Uyghur homes to assess their compliance
with government policies.

Sources: CRS using U.S. Department of State Boundaries; Esri;
Mass Internment
Global Administrative Areas; DeLorme; NGA.
By some estimates, between 2017 and 2020, Xinjiang
authorities have arbitrarily detained an estimated 1.5
All or parts of the area comprising Xinjiang have been
million Turkic Muslims, mostly Uyghurs and a smaller
under the political control or influence of Chinese,
number of ethnic Kazakhs, in “reeducation camps.” The
Mongols, and Russians for long spans of the region’s
facilities also have held many prominent Uyghur
documented history, along with periods of Turkic or
intellectuals. PRC officials describe the facilities as
Uyghur rule. Uyghurs played a role in the establishment of
“vocational education and training centers” where
two short-lived East Turkestan Republics in the 1930s and
“trainees” study Chinese, learn job skills, and undergo a
1940s. The PRC asserted control over Xinjiang in 1949 and
process of “de-extremization.” Detainees, some of whom
established the XUAR in 1955. Uyghurs once were the
may have engaged in religious or ethnic cultural practices
predominant ethnic group in the XUAR; they now
that the government previously tolerated but now deems as
constitute roughly 45% of the region’s population of 24
extremist, reportedly are compelled to renounce many of
million, or around 10.5 million. The government long has
their Islamic beliefs and customs as a condition for their
provided economic incentives for Han Chinese, the
release.
majority ethnic group in China, to migrate to the region;
Hans now constitute about 40% of the XUAR population.
In the second half of 2019, PRC officials claimed that most
Human Rights Issues
detainees had been released, although many Uyghurs living
abroad say that they still have not heard from missing
Since an outbreak of Uyghur demonstrations and ethnic
relatives in Xinjiang. According to some reports, many
unrest in 2009, and sporadic clashes involving Uyghurs and
detainees likely have been formally convicted of crimes and
Xinjiang security personnel that spiked between 2013 and
placed in higher security facilities. Some reeducation
2015, PRC leaders have sought to “stabilize” the XUAR
centers appear to have been decommissioned, while dozens
through more intensive security measures aimed at
of new or repurposed facilities resembling prisons have
combatting “terrorism, separatism and religious
sprung up in the past year. The government reportedly has
extremism.” PRC official data indicates that criminal arrests
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Uyghurs in China
relocated other former detainees and their families to
the following: human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including
special residential compounds and restricted travel in and
detention and forced labor; the security and economic
out.
implications posed to the United States by PRC policies in
Xinjiang, including a list of Chinese companies involved in
Forced and Involuntary Labor
constructing or operating internment camps or providing
According to some reports, the PRC government has begun
mass surveillance equipment; and U.S. efforts to protect
to move large numbers of Uyghurs, including many former
Uyghur-Americans and ethnic Uyghurs from China legally
detainees, into textile, apparel, and other labor-intensive
residing in the United States from harassment or
industries in Xinjiang and other PRC provinces. Uyghurs
intimidation by officials or agents of the PRC government.
who refuse to accept such employment may be threatened
with detention or criminal charges. In addition, former
Sanctions. In July 2020, the Trump Administration
detainees are required to attend political study classes
designated six current or former Communist Party officials
following their work shifts. In March 2020, the
in Xinjiang, including XUAR Party Secretary Chen
Congressional-Executive Commission on China released a
Quanguo (a member of the Chinese Communist Party
report, “Global Supply Chains, Forced Labor, and the
Politburo), for sanctions pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.)
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.” A report by the
13818. E.O. 13818 implements the Global Magnitsky
Australian Strategic Policy Institute identified nearly 120
Human Rights Accountability Act (Title XII, Subtitle F of
Chinese and foreign companies that the institute alleges
P.L. 114-328), which authorizes the President to impose
directly or indirectly benefit from Uyghur labor in
both economic sanctions and visa denials or revocations
potentially abusive circumstances.
against foreign individuals or entities responsible for human
rights abuses or corruption. Also designated under E.O.
Selected U.S. Responses
13818 were the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau and the
Import Restrictions. Beginning in October 2019, U.S.
Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a paramilitary
Customs and Border Protection has issued a series of
organization with major economic interests in the XUAR.
announcements blocking the import of certain goods
suspected of involving Xinjiang-related forced labor. The
Also in July 2020, the State Department additionally
actions, taken pursuant to the forced labor import ban under
announced visa restrictions against PRC officials and their
Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930, have targeted
immediate family members pursuant to Section 7031(c) of
apparel, hair products, cotton, and computer parts produced
the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related
by specific Chinese companies, as well as products
Programs Appropriations Act, 2020 (Division G of P.L.
produced by a purported reeducation center in Xinjiang.
116-94). The State Department also indicated that it was
imposing human rights-related entry denials pursuant to the
The pending Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (S. 3471
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) on unspecified PRC
and H.R. 6210) would, among other provisions, create a
officials and, separately, on unspecified employees of
presumption of denial of import into the United States of
Chinese technology companies. The department had
items produced, wholly or in part, in Xinjiang or by certain
previously announced INA restrictions against unspecified
Xinjiang-related entities pursuant to Section 307. H.R. 6210
PRC officials in October 2019.
passed in the House on September 22, 2020. The pending
Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act of 2020 (H.R. 6270),
Alleged Terrorism
which would amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to
The PRC government has attributed some past deadly
require issuers of securities to make certain disclosures
incidents in the XUAR to the East Turkestan Islamic
related to the import of goods from Xinjiang, passed in the
Movement (ETIM), which it portrays as a Uyghur separatist
House on September 30, 2020.
and terrorist group with ties to global terrorist
organizations. The U.S. government designated ETIM as a
Export Controls. Since October 2019, the U.S.
terrorist organization under Executive Order 13224 in 2002
Department of Commerce has added a total of 48 PRC
(to block terrorist financing) and placed ETIM on the
companies and public security entities to the Bureau of
Terrorist Exclusion List in 2004. ETIM is not on the
Industry and Security (BIS) “entity list” under the Export
Department of State’s narrower “Foreign Terrorist
Administration Regulations (EAR) for their connection to
Organization” (FTO) list. At its height, ETIM, whose
PRC human rights abuses in Xinjiang. The actions impose
members reportedly spent time in Afghanistan and Pakistan
licensing requirements prior to the sale or transfer of certain
from the late-1990s to the mid-2000s, was a small, loosely
U.S. items to these entities, with a presumption of license
organized and poorly financed group that lacked weapons
denial for most items.
and had little if any contact with global jihadist groups,
according to some experts. The U.S. government “identified
Legislation. On June 17, 2020, President Trump signed the
sufficient evidence” to consider three violent incidents in
Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-145)
China purportedly involving Uyghurs as terrorist attacks in
into law. The act aims to impose visa and economic
2014. According to the Department of State, the lack of
sanctions on PRC officials determined to be responsible for
available information has made it difficult to verify most
human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim
other PRC accounts of alleged terrorist activity.
minority groups in Xinjiang. The act also mandates the
Department of State, the Director of National Intelligence,
Thomas Lum, Specialist in Asian Affairs
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, respectively, to
Michael A. Weber, Analyst in Foreign Affairs
submit reports to the relevant Congressional committees on
https://crsreports.congress.gov

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Uyghurs in China

IF10281


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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10281 · VERSION 39 · UPDATED

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