Uyghurs and the Middle East: The wedge issue that doesn't wedge.

Last month the Pulitzer Center published Searching for a Homeland: Uyghurs in Syria, part of a grant project by Emily Feng, which resulted in a flurry of stories about the Uyghurs in MENA. This is often accompanied with stories about how this issue is perceived in the Middle East, and a frequent disbelief among Western observers that this isn’t more disruptive for China’s relations with Muslim majority countries. Over the years I’ve met several Western diplomats and government officials who have looked at this as a wedge issue. The problem they have with this is that it’s a wedge issue that doesn’t wedge.

There have been several instances over the past decade where Muslim majority countries have been included in statements of support for China’s approach to Xinjiang, notably with the Joint statement of 69 countries at the Interactive Dialogue on High Commissioner's annual report at the 47th session of the Human Rights Council, which states:

Respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states and non-interference in internal affairs of sovereign states represent basic norms governing international relations. Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet related issues are China’s internal affairs that brook no interference by any external forces. We support China’s implementation of “one country, two systems” in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

We maintain that all parties should abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity, respect the right of the people of each state to choose independently the path for human rights development in accordance with their national conditions, and treat all human rights with the same emphasis.

We call upon all states to uphold multilateralism, solidarity and collaboration, and to promote and protect human rights through constructive dialogue and cooperation. We oppose politicization of human rights and double standards. We also oppose unfounded allegations against China out of political motivation and based on disinformation, and interference in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.

Really, that statement tells us more about how Beijing frames this issue than how the other signatories do. I’ve spoken with officials from MENA countries who have said that joint statements may not always get the most scrutiny - “you give us a list of the things you want included, we’ll do the same, there’s the statement.”

But having watched this issue fail to gain any traction in the Middle East, I have four general reasons why this is the case.