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An American study reported that at least 570,000 members of the Uighur Muslim minority were forced to work harvesting cotton in Xinjiang, northwest China.
The Chinese authorities in this region adopt a policy of maximum control after bloody attacks against civilians and attributed to Uighur separatists and Islamists.
And left-wing organizations accuse Beijing of detaining at least one million Muslims in re-education camps, while Beijing speaks of vocational rehabilitation centers aimed at lifting the population out of religious extremism.
The American Research Center confirmed that it relied on documents issued by the Chinese authorities that were posted online. The actual number, he said, could be much higher. Xinjiang produces about 20 percent of the world’s cotton.
China reports that all students who attended rehabilitation centers have completed their studies. Reports accuse Beijing of forcing some to take jobs that are often physically demanding.
The report indicated that the state strongly encourages local authorities to implement the program to increase returns in the field and achieve its poverty reduction goals.
In response to a question on Tuesday at a press conference on the issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Weinpin stressed that workers are free to sign employment contracts of their own free will.
Spokesperson Adrian Sense, who prepared several reports on the Uighurs, was accused of fabricating lies and being the backbone of anti-China research institutes established and run by US intelligence.
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