Zubayra Shamseden, co-executive director at the Network for Uyghur Rights in Washington DC, says the central government’s policies to promote tourism in Xinjiang, as well as some relaxation of rules blocking many Uyghur people from leaving the region, are part of a familiar pattern from Beijing.

“I wouldn’t say it is confidence on the part of the Chinese government: It is a historic cycle [of] strong repression, then the crackdown, then they start again to focus on economic development,” she says.