Beijing remains rankled by criticism of its Xinjiang policies, despite pro-China advocates’ insistence that the bad press is agenda-driven.
In an opulent room in the heart of Urumqi’s administrative quarters, about 300 people are gathered — local government bureaucrats and loyal Communist Party of China (CPC) officials, suited and subdued.
Chandeliers installed in a grid pattern on the ceiling scatter light in a million directions, keeping its occupants alert to the multiple surveillance cameras peering down over their heads.
Distinguished guests include high-powered regional figures such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) secretary-general Nurlan Yermekbayev and former Thai deputy prime minister Bhokin Bhalakula.