Andrea Verdelli/Pool via REUTERS Critics say China is operating internment camps for Uighurs and other Muslim peoples who live in Xinjiang, although the government calls them vocational training centers and says it has a genuine need to prevent extremist thinking and violence. China expressed its gratitude to Russia for its support of the de - radicalisation scheme in Xinjinag , which has been the subject of concern for human rights campaigners . The Xinjiang programme has been described by critics as a form of internment camp for indigenous ethnic people , including Muslim groups , Uighurs and a substantial Kazakh minority . However , China argues that the camps are vocational training centres , which are necessary in order to combat extremist thought and terrorist activity .
China expressed its gratitude to Russia for its support of the de - radicalisation scheme in Xinjinag , which has been the subject of concern for human rights campaigners . The Xinjiang programme has been described by critics as a form of internment camp for indigenous ethnic people , including Muslim groups , Uighurs and a substantial Kazakh minority . However , China argues that the camps are vocational training centres , which are necessary in order to combat extremist thought and terrorist activity .