* Australian scientists and universities are facing scrutiny for their collaboration with Chinese researchers. * The Australian government has imposed sanctions on China, but scientists are still working with Chinese colleagues. * Australian scientists argue that their collaboration is crucial for scientific advancement and that they have followed all rules on informed consent. * The Uyghur community in Turkey is raising awareness about the human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Professor McNevin’s concerns were not unfounded. The Chinese government has a history of using DNA databases for mass surveillance and repression. This history is rooted in the country’s authoritarian regime and its use of facial recognition technology, which has been used to identify and detain individuals based on their appearance. The Chinese government has also been accused of using DNA databases to target ethnic minorities, particularly Uyghurs, for forced assimilation and cultural suppression.
The retraction of the study published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, which was about the use of facial recognition technology in Xinjiang, sparked a firestorm of controversy. This is because the paper’s authors claimed that facial recognition technology was being used to track people’s movements, a claim that has been widely disputed. The retraction followed a whistleblower’s accusations, which alleged that the DNA samples collected were being used for other purposes beyond the original study.
“They were forced to learn Mandarin and Chinese culture, and they were not allowed to speak their own language.”
The researcher’s findings were alarming. The students were subjected to a range of practices designed to suppress their ethnic identity, including forced assimilation, cultural erasure, and language deprivation. These practices were implemented through a combination of physical and psychological coercion, creating a hostile environment for the students. The researcher’s findings were corroborated by a 2017 report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
XPCC, a Chinese company specializing in the production of high-tech equipment, has been under global sanctions from the US government since 2020. The sanctions stem from allegations of human rights abuses against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, a region in Northwest China. XPCC’s operations have been significantly impacted by these sanctions, including a decline in sales and a decrease in investment.
