New York Times Goes Overboard in Mega-Attack against Xi Jinping over Uighurs

Nov. 19, 2019 (EIRNS)—A multi-thousand-word diatribe was published in the Nov. 17 Sunday New York Times under the title: “The Xinjiang Papers—'Absolutely No Mercy’: Leaked Files Expose How China Organized Mass Detentions of Muslims.” Compiled by the regular Times anti-China hit-men, Chris Buckley and Austin Ramzy, these sleuths were given (or purchased) about 400 pages of documents from 2015 containing speeches by Xi Jinping and others, and reports about Xi’s response to the outbreak of major terrorist attacks in Xinjiang in 2014 by terrorists trained by the Wahhabi networks in Pakistan and Southwest Asia.

While this is another side of the dangerous effort to justify the “all of society” attack on China and Chinese by FBI Director Christopher Wray, or even direct military confrontation as pushed by lunatics like Pompeo, the Times opus is nonetheless laughable to any serious reader. The report admits, in the words of Xi and others, that China would not respond to the Islamic terror with the methods of mass destruction, bombing and genocide that has utterly destroyed Iraq and Libya, leaving them in ruins with millions killed and displaced, but would combine massive economic development with the creation of internment camps which would detain (for an average of eight months) those showing influence from the radical Islamists, providing them with technical job training and classes in Chinese history and law, as well as Mandarin language training when needed.

As China is proud to report, there has been not a single terrorist incident since the program began, after attacks on civilians in 2014 left scores dead and hundreds wounded at markets and train stations. This has allowed for the people, Uighurs and others, to enjoy security and a rapidly expanding standard of living. As the Times reports, quoting Xi Jinping from 2014, following a visit to Xinjiang: “In recent years, Xinjiang has grown very quickly and the standard of living has consistently risen, but even so ethnic separatism and terrorist violence have still been on the rise. This goes to show that economic development does not automatically bring lasting order and security.”

Ironically, officials are quoted saying that there had been many terrorist attacks in London, and advised against the British method of putting “human rights above security,” advising that they follow the pattern of “America’s war on terror after the Sept. 11 attacks.” This clearly referred to the domestic clampdown on terrorism, rather than the genocidal wars in Southwest Asia.

More ironically, it was precisely the New York Times which was the leading cheer leader for the launching of criminal wars by Tony Blair, George Bush and Barack Obama, against nations which were in fact anti-terror, in service to the British Empire’s regime-change (colonial) policies so beloved by the neo-cons and neo-libs in Washington. They declare the “development and education” approach of the Chinese government as “ruthless and extraordinary.” Perhaps the Times would prefer that they bomb the entire region, as they so wildly supported doing in the Mideast?

But a careful reader will see that they could not cover up the real intent and positive results of the Chinese program:

• “The government sends Xinjiang’s brightest young Uighurs to universities across China.”

• Xi “likened Islamic extremism alternately to a virus-like contagion and a dangerously addictive drug, and declared that addressing it would require a period of painful, interventionary treatment.... As soon as you believe in it, it’s like a drug, and you lose your sense, go crazy and will do anything.” I.e., treat them, don’t kill them.

• “Xi told officials to not discriminate against Uighurs and to respect their right to worship.” They quote Xi at a meeting: “Some people have argued that Islam should be restricted or even eradicated,” but he told the meeting that this was “biased” and “wrong.”

• Xi “traced the origins of Islamic extremism in Xinjiang to the Middle East, and warned that turmoil in Syria and Afghanistan would magnify the risks for China. Uighurs had travelled to both countries, he said, and could return to China as seasoned fighters seeking an independent homeland, which they called East Turkestan.” In fact, the leader of the East Turkestan Independence Movement made several videos calling on Uighurs to rise up militarily against the Chinese government. That potential nightmare has been prevented through education and development.