the 2 UN letters on Xinjiang

7-15-19    The African states that signed the UN letter in support of  large-scale arbitrary detentions are also entangled economically with China.  Some of them like Angola, Gabon, and Nigeria have secured billions of dollars in Chinese financing for infrastructure projects.  A majority of these nations including Togo, Algeria, and Zimbabwe have also ratified the memorandum of understanding on the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to establish a trans-continental passage that connects China with Asia, Europe, and Africa.

  Many of the countries that signed the UN letter are also major exporters of minerals and metals to China.  These include nations like South Sudan, Angola, DR Congo, and the Republic of Congo, who are increasingly reliant on China for their petroleum, zinc, copper and cobalt exports.

Africa's resource-rich nations mostly export to China.

% of 2017 exports to China:

South Sudan 95

Angola 61

Eritrea 58

Gambia 52

DR Congo 45

Guinea 44

Zimbabwe 44

Gabon 42

Central African Republic 41

Republic of Congo 40

Sierra Leone 36

Equatorial Guinea 28

Chad 24

Mauritania 23

data:  The Observatory of Economic Complexity    https://qz.com/africa/1667141/african-leaders-defend-china-arrests-of-uyghur-muslims-in-xinjiang/

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7-15-19  Those that signed the first UN letter, criticizing China, include: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

  Signing the second UN letter, in defense of China’s policies, were: Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Gabon, Kuwait, Laos, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.     https://thediplomat.com/2019/07/which-countries-are-for-or-against-chinas-xinjiang-policies/

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Heavily-armed special police officers face off a crowd of Uyghur residents after they staged a protest in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 7 , 2009.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan    7-11-19 https://thediplomat.com/2019/07/urumqi-2009-and-the-road-to-xinjiang-re-education-centers/

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7-15-19  An investigation by the ABC’s Four Corners program has unveiled

evidence of detained Uighur minority group members being forced into

factory labour in China.  The investigation named retailers Target, Cotton On,

Jeanswest, Ikea, Dangerfield and H&M as sourcing cotton for their products

from the troubled Xinjiang province. Business Insider Australia has

confirmed Jeanswest, Cotton On and Target are investigating their suppliers

in the wake of the report and has sought comment from the remaining three

retailers.

   China’s persecution of the Uighur people has been well documented in recent years with as many as one million members of the mostly Muslim minority group being detained.

  Shocking footage leaked in November 2018 showed the prison-like conditions in the province of Xinjiang where many Uighurs are detained,and the increasing surveillance of the minority group by faraway authorities.   https://www.businessinsider.com.au/china-is-running-forced-labour-camps-in-the-remote-province-of-xinjiang-and-retailers-like-ikea-target-cotton-on-jeanswest-and-hm-are-embroiled-in-the-scandal-2019-7