Despite global condemnation, China is not ready to loosen its crackdown in Xinjiang and take a hard look at treatment meted out against Uighurs. In an interview with Associated Press, Xu Guixiang, an official from China’s Communist Party has said that Beijing cannot get complacent at this moment because the threats are still out there. Expressing that there would be no let up in its crackdown in Xinjiang region, he added that the authorities would now be shifting their focus to address the roots of extremism.

Xu said that Beijing needs to think more about how to solve deep-seated issues like social foundation, extremism and terrorism. When asked if the security measures in Xinjiang would be eased any time soon, he responded that four years no terrorism does not mean that there is no threat or danger at all.

Over the recent years, activists have called out China for engaging in mass detentions, forced labor, forced birth control and shamelessly attempting to wipe out Uighur language and culture. Denying these claims, Xu said that the vocational training courses in Xinjiang have enabled about 117,000 people to develop skills and land higher-paying factory work.

In what can be seen as a white-washing exercise, Xu and other officials also convened a three-hour press conference on Monday in Beijing wherein they brought two graduates from these vocational courses, who cited that they were not forced to do anything. To support their claim, video interviews of other graduates were also played out.

Reacting to US restrictions on imports from Xinjiang and US politicians urging British companies to make their supply chain free of forced labour, Xu hit that one cannot assume that Xinjiang cannot live without US market or some US companies.