How happy-go-lucky British vloggers are making propaganda for China

British travel bloggers have been blasted for sugarcoating China's Uyghur human rights problem while claiming they are exposing Western media lies about Xianjiang.

The Chinese region, which currently holds over one million Uyghurs in re-education camps, has been seen receiving a positive reception from influencers, as they make their way through the province that is usually shut off from journalists.

Foreign vloggers are welcomed with open arms by the Chinese government, to the the region where Western governments and rights groups have accused authorities of subjecting Uyghurs and members of other predominantly Muslim ethnic minority groups to alleged genocide, state-imposed forced labor, and crimes against humanity.

Horrifying reports have included torture, sexual violence and sterilisation measures - Beijing denies all claims of human rights abuse. 

But China feeds off of the happy-go-lucky content, using it as a form of 'proof' that there are no human rights violations taking place in the region - in a method that bodes well with its own state propaganda machine.

One British travel blogger said while touring the streets of Xinjiang's capital Urumqi: 'It's like a normal city, so what's all the hype about? Negative hype as well. I don't understand that.'

Mike Okay, another travel influencer who visited Xinjiang's told the MailOnline: 'I’m an unbiased, non political, adventure traveler. 

'My goal is not to disprove anything in my videos. My goal is to show people a world they would otherwise never see. 

'What happens if you give a relatively uneducated 28 year old man in the middle of one of the world’s most debated regions?'

A foreign ministry spokesperson in August revealed her delight at foreign influencers flooding the region and shedding a positive light on the area.

'I myself have watched a good number of videos by foreign vloggers sharing their trips in China. 

'I'm happy to see more and more foreign friends come to China and fall in love with China,' said Lin Jian.

As China witnesses an influx of YouTubers and travel bloggers to lesser-known regions including Xianjiang, more videos are emerging across social media with sensational titles claiming viewers are being shown the 'real' Xianjiang  and exposing Western media 'lies' about the alleged human rights abuses taking place there.

Several clips are now floating around on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube which claim to not be pushing any particular narrative - but many appear to have political undertones.

In one video, a couple documented their journey while travelling through the Western region, commenting: 'If you relied on the Western media... then you wouldn't normally hear anything positive,' while using the oppression of Muslims as an example of popular accusations made about the area.

They also capture a number of mosques and mention the high number of surveillance cameras in the capital but claim: 'If you haven't done anything wrong then there is nothing to be worried about'.

Another vlogger said: 'A somewhat remote and mysterious region in China, Xinjiang is nonetheless a name constantly spotlighted in many Western media stories, which are usually filled with misinformation.'

Although there is no evidence that suggests the vloggers are working for the Chinese government or receiving a payout, video titles about Western lies have an eerily similar tone to official state messages about the West's perceived anti-China narrative.

Speaking to the Telegraph about this worrying trend, Daria Impiombato, a cyber analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said vloggers have a responsibility to be well-researched and sceptical before travelling.

'There needs to be a reckoning with that type of platform,' she said. 

'It's like influencers who are going to Syria, just doing travel vlogs from Syria without talking about years and years of war and devastation. You can't do that, and you can't do that in Xinjiang either.' 

The rise in the numbers of influencers taking the trips to Xianjiang is causing concern for human rights groups as Uyghurs detained in the camps are forced to work in factories and endure oppressive conditions.

In one internment camp in Kashgar, Xinjiang, Uyghur detainees work as forced laborers to produce textiles and they receive little pay, are not allowed to leave, and have limited or no communication with family members, according to the US Department of Labor. 

If family communication and visits are allowed, they are heavily monitored and can be cut short. 

When not working, the Uyghur workers must also learn Mandarin and undergo ideological indoctrination, in a human rights catastrophe that has shaken the world.

The US and several other foreign governments have described China’s actions in Xinjiang as genocide, while the UN human rights office said that the violations could constitute crimes against humanity. 

Chinese officials have said that they have not infringed on Uyghurs’ rights and claimed that they closed the reeducation camps in 2019. 

However, international journalists and researchers have documented an ongoing system of mass detention throughout the region using satellite images, individual testimonies, and leaked Chinese government documents.

HORRIFIC TALES OF INMATES THAT SHAME BEIJING 

The youngest Uyghur detainee was just 15 when she was held by the Chinese authorities over a family connection. 

Rahile Omer was targeted because her Muslim mother was serving six years in prison for allegedly disturbing ‘the social order’ by following ‘extreme religious practices’. 

Her father had already been sent to a ‘re-education camp’. 

Rahile’s mugshot is in a data leak of thousands of Uyghurs targeted on trumped-up terror charges. They include the oldest detainee, 73-year-old Anihan Hamit, who was held on unknown charges. 

Tursun Kadir, 58, was charged with the crime of ‘growing a beard under the influence of religious extremism’. 

Also accused of preaching and studying Islamic scripture dating back to the 1980s, he was sentenced to 16 years and 11 months in jail. 

Photographs show him both before and after the Chinese determined his expression of Uyghur identity as illegal and ordered him clean shaven. 

He was locked up alongside Yusup Ismayil, 35, who was punished for travelling to a ‘sensitive country’ – believed to be any nation with a large Muslim population. 

Tajigul Tahir, 60, was put under suspicion because her son was jailed for ten years for ‘strong religious leanings’ – the evidence being that he didn’t drink or smoke. She was also accused of illegal preaching