Washington, D.C. [US], May 2 (ANI): Harvard University is facing significant criticism from Uyghur human rights advocates for offering training programs to officials from a Chinese paramilitary group, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), which has been sanctioned by the U.S. government over its involvement in human rights violations, including mass detention and forced labor in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
The XPCC officials participated in executive training programs at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2023 and 2024. This training, which was conducted in collaboration with China’s National Healthcare Security Administration, focused on governance issues related to health insurance and public health policy. The findings were reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA) and later by the Washington Free Beacon, following a study by the China-focused think tank Strategy Risks.
In July 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the XPCC under the Global Magnitsky Act for its involvement in mass surveillance, internment, and forced labor practices targeting Uyghur and other Turkic minorities. These sanctions restrict U.S. institutions from engaging in most forms of cooperation with the XPCC.
Sabrina Sohail, director of advocacy and communications at Campaign for Uyghurs, condemned Harvard’s actions, stating, “The XPCC is not a neutral administrative entity; it is the paramilitary wing of the Chinese Communist Party.” She also warned, “By providing training to its officials, Harvard risks legitimizing a system involved in genocide.”
The XPCC, also known as Bingtuan, is a quasi-military and economic organization that controls key agricultural and industrial sectors in Xinjiang. It operates its own police force, judicial system, and media outlets. The U.S. government has accused the XPCC of managing detention centers and forced labor programs central to China’s oppressive policies against Uyghurs. Human rights organizations have estimated that over 1.8 million Uyghurs have been detained in these facilities since 2017.
China has denied the allegations of human rights abuses. The Chinese Commerce Ministry describes the XPCC as “a strategic force for national stability and border defense” operating under a unique management system that blends the roles of the Chinese Communist Party, government, military, and enterprises.
Henryk Szadziewski, research director at the Uyghur Human Rights Project, emphasized the importance of U.S. institutions considering the legal and ethical implications of cooperating with organizations under U.S. sanctions.
This controversy has raised serious questions about the involvement of U.S. academic institutions with entities linked to oppressive actions in Xinjiang, and whether they are inadvertently supporting human rights violations.
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