AU CONTRAIRE

Are the Uyghurs of western China an oppressed people?

By Posted December 28, 2025
In Antiwar/anti-imperialism, International

Video report by Rami Yahia, from Urumchi, Xinjiang Autonomous Republic of China, re-broadcast here on The Multiplual World, Dec 28, 2025 (41 minutes)



‘Reason To Resist’ correspondent Rami Yahia reporting from Urumchi, capital city of Xinjiang Autonomous Region of western China, in 2025

Rami Yahia is a correspondent and co-producer of the YouTube broadcast ‘Reason To Resist’, with host Dimitri Lascaris. This report was first broadcast on the YouTube channel of ‘Reason To Resist’ on Dec 26, 2025.

Introduction by ‘Reason To Resist’:

During the past several years, numerous Western governments have claimed that Chinese authorities brutally oppress the Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic minority based in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of western China. Some Western governments go so far as to allege that China is committing ‘genocide’ against the Uyghurs. Earlier this year, Reason To Resist correspondent Rami Yahia visited Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. While there, he walked around the city and visited local mosques. He also interacted with some residents of the city. In this report from the streets of Urumqi, Rami shares with us what he saw and his impressions of life in Urumqi.

Previously reported on the ‘World news’ page of The Multiplural World:

Actors perform an eagle dance for visitors in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region in March 2025 (photo by Xinhua)

* Tourism and social development in China’s Xianjiang province expose the lies of a ‘genocide’ and the malice of those who would promote such lies, by Alex Lo (columnist), South China Morning Post, Nov 9, 2025 (here in pdf format: The lies of ‘genocide’ in Xianjing, and the malice of those who promote them)

* How 5G, AI and a cotton revolution are helping China beat U.S. sanctions against the people of Xinjiang, report in South China Morning Post, Apr 30, 2024 Slashed energy costs and improved product quality have helped overcome the effects of Western sanctions. According to European Parliament data, textile factories worldwide account for 10 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions – second only to the petrochemical industry and more than aviation and shipping combined. There is a huge potential to increase the market appeal of Xinjiang’s textile products by reducing the energy consumption of the factories where they are made. (read the report here in pdf format: A revolution in cotton production is helping China to beat U.S.-led sanctions)

* Xinjiang cotton — the epitome of modern agriculture, report by Xinhua news agency, Nov 14, 2023 (with video report)

* Forget hand-picking, we harvest cotton with machines: A Xinjiang Uygur worker’s story, report by Xinhua, Mar 18, 2024