Ambassadors from 25 developing countries completed a week-long junket to Xinjiang organized by the Chinese government and, according to Chinese state media, found “people in Xinjiang are enjoying a happy life.”
The participants included envoys from Myanmar, Iran, Samoa and Dominica. They were conducted to various cities to see “the real Xinjiang”, which included the usual stops to watch locals dancing.
Dominica’s ambassador Martin Charles went so far as to record a testimonial for Chinese state-controlled media that denounced “Western media” for reporting lies about the situation in Xinjiang and said that he did not see any human rights violations during his time there.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? These junkets may seem ridiculous to many outside observers who know full well that these diplomats are not permitted to travel freely around Xinjiang to investigate human rights allegations. Regardless, they are highly effective in persuading these countries to echo China’s position on the issue, as is clearly evident by Ambassador Charles’ video.
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