Newcastle will end its long-standing twin city relationship with Taiyuan, the capital of China’s Shanxi Province, due to allegations that the government has mistreated Uyghurs.
China has been accused of detaining over one million Uyghur Muslims in what has been called “re-education” camps.
Lib Dem Wendy Taylor, who proposed the motion that was passed unanimously on Wednesday, felt that, given the allegations of “horrific abuses,” Newcastle could not have ties with China.
Since 1985, there has been a partnership with the industrial city of Taiyuan, and delegations have frequently visited Taiyuanside. Regarding the Uyghur people, Ms. Taylor stated, “There is talk of rape, forced sterilization, and even organ harvesting.”
As of 2022, In addition to Newcastle, Taiyuan has a sister city relationships with 12 international cities, including Nashville in the United States .
Source: Radio Free Asia, November 4, 2022
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/8-11042022154745.html