TOURIST DESTINATION OR CAULDRON?
On one hand: the modernizing of Xinjiang by China. Rebuild the Silk Road, bring in restaurants, Sheridans, Holiday Inns, museums and ancient lost cities. New airports, high speed trains, oilfields and mineral mines. A new world destination.
But the Uighur? They are a problem. China is re-educating them. Can't have them stand in the way of progress. Put them in warehouses and brain-wash them. Like when the Northern Europeans came to America and put Native Americans in mission schools. Just sayin.'
The irony is, the EU has come a long way since the days of the colonial world powers. Here is a good article trying to get a handle on the complex situation in Xinjiang.