While part of the international community denounces the repression of the Uighur ethnic group in Xinjiang, a region in western China, Uighur "influencers" offer an idyllic vision of their daily life. But a growing number of human rights organisations and the United Nations have documented China’s severe repression of this Muslim ethnic minority.
Australian researchers have analysed more than 1,700 YouTube videos featuring young Uighur, Kazakh, Tibetan and Mongolian women, all of whom are ethnic minorities victim to Beijing's policy of cultural unification. The influencers play the role of model citizens, and some even openly deny accusations of genocide and forced labour in China.
In this episode of the Observers, we speak to Daria Impiombato, a researcher at the Australian Policy Strategy Institute (ASPI). She told us how her team established clear links between the women in these videos and the Chinese Communist Party.
>> Read more on The Observers: The Uighur ‘influencers’ working for Beijing’s propaganda machine
