Uyghur Labor Transfers: Control Under the Guise of Work
- TPP
- May 29
- 4 min read
How China Uses Work Programs to Reshape Uyghur Identity and Tighten Control Over Xinjiang
While the Chinese government has long promoted its labor programs in Xinjiang as a tool to lift the region out of poverty, a closer investigation reveals they have also become a strategic means of controlling the Uyghur population and reshaping their identity.
Uyghurs are increasingly being transported out of their homeland by train and plane, often in groups and dressed in matching caps or jackets. They are sent to factories wherever labor is needed—whether that’s molding rubber slippers, assembling automotive wiring, or sorting chicken carcasses.
A joint investigation by The New York Times, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and Der Spiegel has revealed that Uyghur labor transfers are occurring on a much larger scale than previously documented.
Widespread Presence in Chinese Industries
Investigators traced Uyghur workers to more than 70 factories spread across at least five major industries. These factories produce goods for many globally recognized brands, raising concerns for international regulators who are working to identify and eliminate forced labor from global supply chains.
According to experts, an estimated tens of thousands of Uyghurs have been relocated under these programs. Though specific working conditions vary and often remain opaque, United Nations labor experts, academic researchers, and human rights advocates widely agree that the nature of these transfers is coercive.
“For these Uyghurs being forced and dragged out of their homes to go to work, it’s hell,”
said Rahima Mahmut, a Uyghur activist in exile and executive director of Stop Uyghur Genocide, a rights group based in the UK.
“It’s like you’re being taken from one country to another. That’s how different it is—from the language, to the food, to the way of life.”
China’s Denial and Framing as Security Effort
The Chinese Embassy in Washington has rejected these allegations, calling them “nothing but vicious lies concocted by anti-China forces.” In its response, the embassy stated that the government’s policies have made Xinjiang safer, and emphasized that:
“Xinjiang-related issues are not human rights issues at all, but in essence about countering violent terrorism and separatism.”
A Shift from Poverty Reduction to Political Control
While the Chinese government initially promoted labor transfers as a tool to reduce poverty and unemployment, they have since evolved into a central part of Beijing’s strategy to reshape Uyghur identity under the banner of national security.
The intense crackdown in Xinjiang followed violent incidents involving Uyghurs, including:
A 2013 SUV attack near Tiananmen Square that killed two and injured dozens.
A 2014 mass stabbing at Kunming train station, where 31 people were killed by a group armed with long knives.
These attacks reinforced the belief among top Chinese leaders that Islamic extremism had deeply infiltrated Uyghur society.
According to internal Chinese documents leaked to The New York Times in 2019, President Xi Jinping concluded that Islamist ideology was not fringe, but deeply embedded in Uyghur communities.
His government responded with a broad crackdown that included mass internment camps and the expansion of labor programs, often under compulsion.
Labor Programs as Tools of Control
According to Adrian Zenz, a noted anthropologist and expert on Uyghur forced labor, the labor transfer program was used to monitor and control Uyghurs who were not imprisoned in camps. Chinese officials labeled many of these individuals as “idle,” and therefore potential threats, warranting strict surveillance.
A 2018 report written by scholars from Nankai University in northeastern China, and shared with government officials, recommended expanding the labor program. The report explicitly advised the state to:
Reduce Uyghur population density in Xinjiang.
Promote assimilation and ideological conformity by relocating Uyghurs across China.
The report stated that the transfer system could help to “meld and assimilate” Uyghurs into Han-dominated society.
Evidence of Coercion and Arrest Threats
Further confirmation of coercion comes from the leaked internal Xinjiang police files, obtained by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit anti-communist group. These documents reveal that resisting participation in labor transfers can lead to immediate arrest.
Despite the threats, some Uyghurs opt in voluntarily—but not always for positive reasons. Uyghur activists abroad explain that constant surveillance, security checkpoints, and restricted movement in Xinjiang make the region feel like an “open-air prison.” As a result, some accept transfer as an escape route from daily oppression.
Recruitment Driven by State Quotas and Incentives
According to experts, recruitment is also coercive in practice. Government teams often go door-to-door in Uyghur villages, pressuring farmers—many of whom have never left their homes—to join state-organized work transfers.
Darren Byler, a professor and anthropologist at Simon Fraser University, noted that government officials receive incentives to recruit as many Uyghurs as possible to meet state-imposed quotas.
Limited Economic Alternatives and Discrimination
In addition to political pressure, economic marginalization leaves many Uyghurs with no alternative employment. The government’s seizure of rural land for development and large-scale state-owned farms has eliminated traditional jobs. Meanwhile, ethnic discrimination in hiring practices often excludes Uyghurs in favor of Han Chinese workers.
Obstacles Even After Transfer
Even when Uyghurs agree to participate in labor programs, they sometimes face barriers at their destinations. According to the Nankai University study, local police in other provinces:
Blocked Uyghurs from disembarking trains.
Prevented them from entering factories, despite having official approvals.
In some cases, Uyghurs were turned away and sent home, causing what the study called "embarrassing incidents."
Ultimately, China’s labor transfer programs for Uyghurs serve multiple purposes— economic, political, and ideological. Under the guise of poverty alleviation, the programs are used to weaken ethnic solidarity, enforce Han cultural norms, and extend the state’s grip over a strategically vital region.
While the Chinese government insists that these programs promote stability and opportunity, mounting evidence suggests they are coercive, assimilationist, and a violation of human rights.
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