OPINION | Xinjiang as a Security Laboratory: How China Engineered a System of Control - Part I

by Aritra Banerjee

For more than a decade, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has been at the center of an evolving experiment in state power. Beijing presents its approach as a counter-extremism framework, but the province has instead become a controlled environment where the state tests, calibrates, and deploys new technologies of political obedience.

By the mid-2010s, Xinjiang’s cities had been reshaped to support high-density data collection and automated policing. Checkpoints were placed at extremely short intervals; residents were required to submit their phones for routine checks; and biometric data collection became standard practice. Public spaces shifted from open civic environments to controlled surveillance corridors where movement, communication, and behavior were continuously assessed.

Central to this system is the Integrated Joint Operations Platform, a data architecture that aggregates information from CCTV networks, mobile applications, bank transactions, travel records, and neighborhood inspections. Algorithms classify behavior according to state-defined indicators—often vague, ideological, or cultural in nature. Ordinary acts such as reduced socializing, frequent prayer, or contact with relatives abroad can generate alerts. These alerts are rarely transparent and offer no pathway for contestation.

Meanwhile, the state increased its physical presence within Uyghur communities. “Home-stay” inspections placed cadres inside private households, where they observed habits, relationships, and religious practices. Although framed as community assistance, these visits served as direct intrusions into private life, reinforcing an atmosphere where every action seemed vulnerable to state interpretation.

When the mass detentions began in 2017, the architecture was already in place. More than one million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities were placed in so-called “vocational training centers.” These facilities operate with restricted access, limited communication rights, and political re-education programs built around Party doctrine. The absence of judicial oversight, combined with the scale of detention, has raised concerns among human-rights bodies, intelligence agencies, and research institutes across Europe.

Today, Xinjiang is not merely a heavily policed region. It is a demonstration of how a modern state can merge data systems, administrative power, and political ideology to govern an entire population with unprecedented reach.

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About Author

Aritra Banerjee is a Defence, Foreign Affairs & Aerospace Journalist and Co-Author of the book The Indian Navy @75: Reminiscing the Voyage. Having spent his formative years in the United States before returning to India, he brings a unique global perspective to his work. A graduate in Mass Media from the University of Mumbai, he holds a Master’s in International Relations, Security & Strategy from O.P. Jindal Global University, along with a CPD-accredited Professional Certificate in Strategic Communications from King’s College London (War Studies). He has contributed to national and international publications across TV, Print, and Digital platforms, reporting on major Defence, Security, and Aerospace events in India and Europe, and spending extended periods in Kashmir, engaging with communities and gaining firsthand perspectives that inform his work. Twitter: @Aritrabanned