Washington, DC [US], September 26 : The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has strongly criticised Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Urumchi on Tuesday, where he marked the 70th anniversary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
The exile group denounced the event as a staged propaganda exercise that concealed what it describes as an ongoing genocide against Uyghurs.
According to Chinese state media, Xi was welcomed with carefully arranged performances by Uyghur dancers and children waving national flags. For many Uyghurs, such images highlight the contrast between state-orchestrated celebrations and the reality of life under repression, including mass incarceration, forced labour, extensive surveillance, family separations, and the systematic destruction of cultural identity.
During his speech, Xi underlined the themes of "stability, development, and ethnic unity." The WUC argued that these slogans in practice translate into fear, economic exploitation based on confiscated resources and coerced labour, and policies such as forced marriages aimed at erasing Uyghur culture. "This was not a commemoration; it was an attempt to disguise crimes against humanity," said WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun.
The trip coincided with the release of a White Paper by China's State Council on September 19. The document asserted that government programs had improved "happiness" and "well-being" among Uyghurs and laid out a five-part plan emphasising the rule of law, prosperity, cultural identity, ethnic unity, and Party leadership. It also touted economic growth, tourism, and joint civil-military projects as evidence of progress.
Rights groups dismissed the White Paper as a rebranding of policies rooted in heavy securitisation and forced assimilation. They pointed to restrictions on language, religion, and cultural freedoms, as well as intrusive monitoring systems that leave no room for independent civic life. The Uyghur Human Rights Project called the claims "propaganda designed to obscure widespread persecution."
The WUC urged governments and international institutions to reject Beijing's narrative and to reinforce findings of the 2022 UN Human Rights Office report and other treaty body reviews, which highlighted grave violations in Xinjiang. The WUC called for renewed global action to ensure accountability and defend the rights of Uyghurs and other Turkic communities.