- Interview with refugee Uyghur Mehrigul Tursun
- Dispute over cross-border CO2 adjustment
- Hackl: Omicron makes Olympics ‘not possible’
- US cancels flights from China
- Czech Republic moves closer to Taiwan
- Yale professor Goldberg: Third parties profit from trade war
- So To Speak: ‘scripted murder’
The eyewitness story of Mihrigul Tursun is currently shocking first readers. The Uyghur woman was detained in Xinjiang in one of these feared camps. One of her children died under unknown circumstances during this time. Tursun had attracted the suspicion of the authorities by studying abroad. She wrote about her experiences in her book, “Ort ohne Wiederkehr,” (Place of no return) which was published last week.
Such witness reports of the situation in Xinjiang are vital. After all, China is trying to keep the events in Xinjiang suppressed by all means. First, they denied the existence of camps. Then, they were merely for vocational training. Tursun’s book now makes clear: They were, at least in part, places of torture. In today’s interview, Marcel Grzanna spoke with Tursun about her experiences.
Today’s second topic revolves around a point of contention between the EU and China on climate protection. As part of its “Fit for 55” program, the EU wants to introduce a complicated CO2 border tax, the form of which is still being debated. It is intended to prevent products from countries with lower CO2 prices from entering the EU market too cheaply. Ning Wang has taken a closer look at the plans and explains where the conflicts lie. China is keeping a close eye on the project, fearing high costs.
Have a pleasant week!
Finn Mayer-Kuckuk
Interview
Uyghur refugee Mihrigul Tursun – ‘Many people trust Germany’
The authorities in Xinjiang have accused Mihrigul Tursun: She thinks “too Uyghur.” She was three times detained in internment camps for several weeks, beaten and tortured with electric shocks. One of her babies died under unexplained circumstances in the care of the authorities. Meanwhile, her Egyptian husband applied 18 times for a visa at the Chinese embassy in Cairo until he was allowed to enter the country in 2018. In exchange for a promise not to go to court abroad over the dead child, Tursun was granted permission to return to Egypt. She eventually turned to the United States for help, where she sought asylum and testified before Congress. Now, together with German journalist Andrea C. Hoffmann, Tursun has written a book about her experiences. “Ort ohne Wiederkehr – wie ich als Uigurin Chinas Lager überlebte” (Place of No Return – How I Survived China’s Camps as a Uyghur, Heyne, 277 pp.) is a chilling testimony to Chinese human rights crimes in Xinjiang.
Ms. Tursun, what memories do you have of the 2008 Olympics?
At that time, I was very proud that China was hosting the Olympic Games, and I enjoyed watching the competitions on TV. I didn’t even know at that time that the Olympic Games always take place in a different place every four years. Through propaganda, I was firmly convinced that only China would ever be able to host such an event.
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