Beijing — China’s far-western Xinjiang region has inserted new clauses into its anti-extremism laws that prescribe the use of "vocational training centres" to "educate and transform" those influenced by extremist ideology. Reports of mass detentions and strict surveillance of ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims have sparked a growing international outcry, prompting the US to consider sanctions against officials and firms linked to allegations of human rights abuses. Chinese officials have denied enforcing arbitrary detention and political re-education in a network of secret camps, saying instead that some citizens guilty of minor offences are sent to vocational centres for future employment opportunities. China says Xinjiang faces a serious threat from Islamist militants and separatists and has rejected all accusations of mistreatment in an area where hundreds have been killed in recent years in unrest between Uyghurs and members of the Han Chinese majority.
The three new clauses...
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