XINJIANG: Xinjiang, a region steeped in history and civilisation which lies at the heart of the Silk Route, is now at the epicentre of a 21st-century conflict.
For years now over this ancient land, two superpowers have been engaged in a battle waged not on traditional fronts, but on virtual battlegrounds in the domain of cyberspace.
There has been a prolonged and escalating media war, where the ammunition is not bullets, but likes, shares, and views.
The war involves a battle of narratives. On one side, Western countries have painted a bleak picture of the situation in Xinjiang.
From the Western perspective, the narrative on Xinjiang focuses on allegations of severe human rights abuses, religious repression, and forced labour. Reports from international human rights organisations have added fuel to the issue, and several Western governments have imposed sanctions on Chinese officials.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has emerged as a particular thorn in China's side. Four years ago, the BBC ran a report on 'China's hidden camps' in Xinjiang, which initiated a cascade of continuous reporting on the region from the west.
Numerous western news outlets have zeroed in on China's alleged human right abuses.
Headlines like "Hacked files reveal Chinese 'shoot-to-kill' policy in Uyghur detention camps" have further heightened global concern.
"BBC yes.. Biased Broadcasting Corporation," said Dr Zheng Liang, a Chinese expert in media studies.
Trained in the USA, the academic labeled the reports not journalism, but cognitive warfare.
He was speaking at a seminar organised in Kashgar for media directors.
"They engage in cognitive warfare under the guise of journalism. Trying to sway Chinese public opinion, world public opinion. Trying to smear China's global image through various means. Media manipulation, think tank reports," said the academician.
"Why are they imposing this cognitive war on China?
"I use their words, great power competition. And Xinjiang is … serving their strategic purpose for economic decoupling," he said.
After hyping up human rights issues in Xinjiang, they have banned Xinjiang produce, including tomatoes and cotton, he said.
But China has been equally pro-active in this media war.
The Information Office of the State Council for example has organised media trips to the region to counter the narratives of the west.
Journalists from dozens of countries including Malaysia were invited to experience Xinjiang themselves, to acquire 'first-hand knowledge about the region's economic and social development, diverse culture and the development of the Belt and Road Initiative'.
This unusual interest in the human rights of the Muslims in this far flung region of China may be due to Xinjiang's geo-strategic importance.
Geographically, Xinjiang sprawls a vast expanse that covers 1.6 million square kilometres.
Conquered by the Qing dynasty in the 18th century, Xinjiang's history is marked by complex regional dynamics. It was the stage for the Dungan Revolt from 1862 to 1877, following which the Qing dynasty reconquered the region and amalgamated it into a single province, named Xinjiang, or 'new frontier,' in 1884.
Home to numerous ethnic groups, Xinjiang has been an integral part of China since its annexation in 1949. Over the years, the region's economy has seen remarkable growth and development, making it a pivotal player in China's Belt and Road Initiative.
This importance may have been perceived as a threat to Western powers, which reacted accordingly.
"Why do you think western media omits specific points? Why the fixation on the Uyghur six ethnic groups?," asked Ma Pinyan, a researcher at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences in Urumqi.
He said the "false stance" of the Western media needs to be corrected.
He raised the issue of the Uyghur internment camps as a case in point.
Numerous media reports, particularly from the West have pointed to allegedly hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs being held in internment camps.
"(We) try to correct them in re-education training centres. But the coverage in Western media did not say this.
"We did not treat them (like) criminals, we gave them re-education.
"Unfortunately, my voice cannot reach the Western media," he added.