The Ughurs are predominantly Turkic speaking Sunni Muslims. They number almost 12 million in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), making up nearly half of the region’s population. In 2014, China’s government launched the “Strike Hard Campaign against Violent Terrorism” in Xinjiang. Since then, the Chinese government has committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang. This includes enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, forced labor, and cultural and religious persecution. Xinjiang is also an area that is naturally rich in energy resources. Therefore, much of this forced labor has been implemented to mine materials. Those materials are exported around the globe, to produce gold jewelry, cars, and solar panels.

 Key Judgment 1. It is highly likely that human rights violations will continue in Xinjiang, due to the importance of its mining output for China’s economy.

 Key Judgment 2. Many international companies are linked to gold mined in Xinjiang, and it is highly likely that they will continue to conceal their corporate links to Xinjiang, due to their significant financial gain.

 Key Judgment 3. It is likely that controversy in Xinjiang will be decreasingly publicized as China increasingly suppresses Uyghur culture and religion.