MADISON, WISCONSIN ¨C After becoming the Communist Party of China¡¯s chief of Xinjiang province in 2016, Chen Quanguo oversaw a security crackdown that led to a drop in births so sharp that it shocked the world.
Some observers accused China¡¯s leadership of committing genocide against the province¡¯s mostly Muslim Uyghur population through forced sterilization and abortion. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi dismissed the allegations as ¡°fake news,¡± arguing that Xinjiang¡¯s Uyghur population had grown steadily to 12.7 million in 2018, an increase of 25% from 2010 ¨C and higher than the 14% increase in the province¡¯s total population.
But recently released 2020 census figures have delivered what amounts to a slap in the foreign ministry¡¯s face. The data show that in 2020, Xinjiang¡¯s Uyghur population had grown by only 16% since 2010, to 11.6 million, compared to a 19% increase in Xinjiang¡¯s total population. Even more shocking, the Uyghur population aged 0 to 4 was only 36% the size of that aged 5 to 9.
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