Over 10 years into President Xi Jinping’s rule, the Chinese government has deepened its repression across the country. Authorities have arbitrarily detained human rights defenders, tightened control over civil society, media, and the internet, and deployed invasive mass surveillance technology. The government imposes particularly heavy-handed control in Xinjiang and Tibet. The cultural persecution and arbitrary detention of a million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang since 2017 amount to crimes against humanity. In Hong Kong, the government imposed draconian national security legislation in 2020 and systematically dismantled freedoms of expression, association, and assembly.

The Chinese government continues its efforts to silence critics in other countries. Chinese diplomats act to mute criticism of the government’s human rights record and to weaken UN human rights bodies.

China and Tibet country page map

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