From Concealment to Partial Acknowledgment to Tactical Policy Shifts: China’s Response to International Pressure Regarding Xinjiang Re-Education Camps

Abstract

This article explores China’s responses to the international pressure regarding the mass detention of Uyghurs in re-education detention camps in Xinjiang. To understand the evolution of China’s responses to the mounting international pressure, the article employs a process-tracing method based on a qualitative analysis of Chinese official documents, reports, leaked files, and media articles. China’s official narrative is also traced through a content analysis of articles from Chinese official media. The article argues that the shifts in narratives, and even in policies, were shaped not solely by domestic considerations but also by international pressure. In response to growing international pressure, the authorities moved through several stages: initially showing lax control over the narrative, then concealing the camps’ existence, subsequently acknowledging and justifying them, followed by downsizing and reframing the policy, and eventually partially abandoning the practice. The article contributes to the underresearched area of authoritarian regimes’ responses to international pressure regarding their domestic political repression.