Forced Uyghur labor undergirds Xinjiang's export boom

The Chinese province of Xinjiang is synonymous with human rights abuses, mass incarceration and forced labor. Western sanctions have come into force as a result. But the South China Morning Post reported on Oct. 24 that Xinjiang's foreign exports surged by a record 49 percent in the first three quarters of 2023, driven by a 50 percent increase in exported labor-intensive products — the types of goods most at risk of involving forced Uyghur labor. Kashgar prefecture, located in the Uyghur heartland, increased its foreign trade by a stunning 113 percent. How is this growth possible after many major international…