A German lawmaker who was denied entry to China told DW on Tuesday that the Chinese government was trying to "encroach" on Germany's democratic system.

"This is an encroachment on the rights of a freely elected parliament, one which the German Bundestag cannot tolerate," Margarete Bause said.

The human rights spokeswoman for the Greens said on Saturday that Chinese authorities had threatened to ban members of a parliamentary committee from visiting China at the end of August if she was part of the delegation.

The Bundestag appealed the threat on Monday in a letter to the Chinese government.

Read more: Western UN envoys condemn China's Muslim 're-education' camps

Bause told DW that China had not provided any written documentation about the travel ban or reasons for the move. But she said it was likely because of her criticism of China's poor human rights record and mistreatment of its Uighur Muslim minority in western China.

"It may well be that this commitment to human rights, especially those of the Uighurs, has drawn negative attention from the Chinese side," she said.

China's Uighur heartland turns into security state China's far western Xinjiang region ramps up security Three times a day, alarms ring out through the streets of China's ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar, and shopkeepers rush out of their stores swinging government-issued wooden clubs. In mandatory anti-terror drills conducted under police supervision, they fight off imaginary knife-wielding assailants.

China's Uighur heartland turns into security state One Belt, One Road Initiative An ethnic Uighur man walks down the path leading to the tomb of Imam Asim in the Taklamakan Desert. A historic trading post, the city of Kashgar is central to China's "One Belt, One Road Initiative", which is President Xi Jinping's signature foreign and economic policy involving massive infrastructure spending linking China to Asia, the Middle East and beyond.

China's Uighur heartland turns into security state China fears disruption of "One Belt, One Road" summit A man herds sheep in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. China's worst fears are that a large-scale attack would blight this year's diplomatic setpiece, an OBOR summit attended by world leaders planned for Beijing. Since ethnic riots in the regional capital Urumqi in 2009, Xinjiang has been plagued by bouts of deadly violence.

China's Uighur heartland turns into security state Ethnic minority in China A woman prays at a grave near the tomb of Imam Asim in the Taklamankan Desert. Uighurs are a Turkic-speaking distinct and mostly Sunni Muslim community and one of the 55 recognized ethnic minorities in China. Although Uighurs have traditionally practiced a moderate version of Islam, experts believe that some of them have been joining Islamic militias in the Middle East.

China's Uighur heartland turns into security state Communist Party vows to continue war on terror Chinese state media say the threat remains high, so the Communist Party has vowed to continue its "war on terror" against Islamist extremism. For example, Chinese authorities have passed measures banning many typically Muslim customs. The initiative makes it illegal to "reject or refuse" state propaganda, although it was not immediately clear how the authorities would enforce this regulation.

China's Uighur heartland turns into security state CCTV cameras are being installed Many residents say the anti-terror drills are just part of an oppressive security operation that has been ramped up in Kashgar and other cities in Xinjiang's Uighur heartland in recent months. For many Uighurs it is not about security, but mass surveillance. "We have no privacy. They want to see what you're up to," says a shop owner in Kashgar.

China's Uighur heartland turns into security state Ban on many typically Muslim customs The most visible change is likely to come from the ban on "abnormal growing of beards," and the restriction on wearing veils. Specifically, workers in public spaces, including stations and airports, will be required to "dissuade" people with veils on their faces from entering and report them to the police.

China's Uighur heartland turns into security state Security personnel keep watch Authorities offer rewards for those who report "youth with long beards or other popular religious customs that have been radicalized", as part of a wider incentive system that rewards actionable intelligence on imminent attacks. Human rights activists have been critical of the tactics used by the government in combatting the alleged extremists, accusing it of human rights abuses.

China's Uighur heartland turns into security state Economy or security? China routinely denies pursuing repressive policies in Xinjiang and points to the vast sums it spends on economic development in the resource-rich region. James Leibold, an expert on Chinese ethnic policy says the focus on security runs counter to Beijing's goal of using the OBOR initiative to boost Xinjiang's economy, because it would disrupt the flow of people and ideas. Author: Nadine Berghausen



Bause said China had demanded that she stop a Bundestag debate on China's internment of Uighurs shortly before it took place late last year. The government in Beijing then lodged a formal diplomatic complaint, citing the parliament's "interference" in China's internal affairs.

During her time as a member of Bavaria's state parliament, state prosecutors investigated whether China had spied on Bause after the Chinese consulate in Munich revealed it had private information about her invitation to a local Uighur event.

The case was dropped after investigators failed to identify any potential perpetrators, she said.

Read more: China hits back at US over human rights violations

Bause's counterpart in Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc (CDU/CSU), Michael Brand, said on Tuesday that the German government needed to stand up to China over its decision to block her entry.

"It is absolutely clear that if the federal government and the Bundestag show deference instead of standing up tall, then we will only encourage the authoritarian communists in China to further attempts of blackmail," he told Der Spiegel magazine.

Yang Da contributed to this report.

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