Main Developments
World Muslim Communities Council Delegation to Xinjiang
On January 10, Dolkun Isa鈥攖he president of the World Uyghur Congress, an umbrella organization of exiled Uyghur nationalist groups鈥攃ondemned a delegation of 30 Muslim clerics from 14 countries for participating in what he called a 鈥減ropaganda visit鈥� to Xinjiang. The Abu Dhabi-based World Muslim Communities Council (WMCC) organized the delegation to the autonomous region in northwest China where Chinese security services have herded as many as one million into forced-labor camps, indoctrinating them against the basic tenets of their religion, raping and torturing them, and subjecting young women to forced sterilizations鈥攁ll in the name of combatting terrorism and religious extremism. After Chinese authorities hosted the delegation at the Museum of Combating Terrorism and Extremism, Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, the WMCC鈥檚 chairman and the head of the delegation, 鈥� the efforts of the Chinese authorities in combating terrorism in Xinjiang and praised the interest and determination of the Chinese leadership to serve all people in the region,鈥� according to the council鈥檚 website.
In response, the president of the Uyghur Congress accused Nuaimi and the delegation of supporting genocide. 鈥淚t is outrageous that the WMCC鈥� is now echoing the Chinese government鈥檚 narrative,鈥� Dokun Isa said. 鈥淭he WMCC is betraying millions of their Muslim brothers and sisters who have been suffering at the hands of the Chinese government and is acting in direct contradiction of its own Basic Charter.鈥� He has a point. Dedicated to promoting understanding between Muslim minorities in non-Muslim-majority countries, the WMCC s to protect Muslim minorities 鈥渇rom racial discrimination or ethnic cleansing.鈥� However, in with Global Times, the English-language mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, Nuaimi congratulated Chinese authorities on their achievements in Xinxiang. 鈥淚t is very important for the Muslim world and the world to understand that the people here are Chinese, and they are part of China. And the government is taking good care of them,鈥� Nuaimi said. The WMCC of Nuaimi鈥檚 remarks to Chinese officials, which include the claim that 鈥渞easonable people all over the world need a safe, stable and prosperous China.鈥�
The delegation included representatives from, among other countries, some of the closest Arab allies of the United States, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain. The visit came shortly after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu revealed that China the Turkish ambassador to China to visit Xinjiang freely, contradicting a five-year-old promise from the Chinese government. Refusing to be used as props for Chinese propaganda, the Turks rejected the Chinese offer of a curated trip鈥攑resumably much like the itinerary presented to the WMCC.
Qin Gang鈥檚 Africa Trip
China鈥檚 new foreign minister, Qin Gang, continued a by visiting Africa on his first overseas trip in his new position. He began the trip by visiting the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and then traveled on to Angola, Benin, Gabon, and Egypt. Qin Gang attended the of the Chinese-funded headquarters for the African Center for Disease Control in Ethiopia鈥檚 capital. If Africa needs help after the headquarters transfers to local control, he said, 鈥淐hina will continue to do its utmost to .鈥� Rehearsing a talking point familiar to Middle Eastern ears, he added that Africa should not be an arena for competition between world powers.
In Libreville, Qin Gang met with Gabonese President and Foreign Minister Pac么me Moubelet-Boubeya; in Cotonou, with Beninese President and Foreign Minister Aur茅lien Agb茅nonci; and in Luanda with Angolan President and Foreign Minister Tete Ant贸nio. In addition to Egyptian President and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, he also met with Secretary-General of the League of Arab States in Cairo. In all these meetings, Qin restated China鈥檚 support for African development, emphasizing the commonalities between the Belt Road Initiative and the national aspirations of each country.
On January 11, Qin Gang and Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission, held a . Qin attacked the 鈥済roundless allegation鈥� that China is creating a 鈥渄ebt trap鈥� in Africa, before announcing later during the visit that China has an unspecified amount of Ethiopia鈥檚 estimated $13.7 billion debt. In a later with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, Qin repeated China鈥檚 call for Israel to stop its 鈥渋ncitement鈥� in order to avoid escalation with the Palestinians. This came after China and the UAE jointly called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council after Israel鈥檚 national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.
John Lee Ka-chiu鈥檚 Upcoming Middle East Tour
Chief Executive of Hong Kong John Lee Ka-chiu during his New Year鈥檚 speech that he would visit the Middle East in an effort to foster closer economic ties with the region. According to James Fok, a geopolitical finance expert writing in the South China Morning Post, Lee as a partner capable of assisting the kingdom in developing the petro-yuan market, which we discussed in the. In addition, because Hong Kong operates within an English common law system widely accepted by the international investment community, it could help China and Saudi Arabia marry their financial systems.
Iran鈥檚 Surveillance State
and have reported that Iran uses facial recognition technology to enforce the nation鈥檚 compulsory hijab laws. Iranian women report that, after having had no interaction with a law enforcement officer, they have received citations in the mail for violations of hijab laws. In Iran, rumors have been circulating for months about police targeting protestors days after they participated in demonstrations, presumably revealing their identities to the authorities through facial recognition technology. Iran has acquired its surveillance technology from the country with the most experience in this form of social control: China. , a Chinese intelligence company, listed Iran鈥檚 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a list of surveillance purchasers, which the firm has deleted from its website. Iran鈥檚 increased use of Chinese surveillance technology and artificial intelligence reminds us, yet again, that China and Iran are sharing 鈥渂est practices鈥� in authoritarian repression. While digital technologies give protestors new tools to defy dictators, they also provide dictators with robust countermeasures.
Final Notes
HSK in Iraq
On January 14, Baghdad鈥檚 Iraqi-Chinese Friendship Association the nation鈥檚 first Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK)鈥攁 Chinese language proficiency test. Twelve people took the test, ranging from doctors, engineers, merchants, and students who intend to pursue advanced study in China. Haider al-Rubaie, the head of the Friendship Association, said that conducting the HSK in Iraq will further enhance cultural exchanges between the two countries, as Iraqis who pass the test can apply to study at Chinese universities.
Chinese New Year
Several countries throughout the Middle East kicked off celebrations for the Chinese New Year. Dubai hosted the , which attracted thousands, including China鈥檚 ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Zhang Yiming. Riyadh at the amusement park Boulevard World鈥檚 Chinese pavilion, where Ambassador Chen Weiqing, the Chinese envoy in Riyadh, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The chief of staff of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Brigadier General Bruno Helluy, to the Chinese camp in Hinnieh in southern Lebanon to celebrate the Chinese New Year. He talked with the Chinese peacekeepers, learned more about the celebratory customs, and wrapped dumplings with them.