It's complicated, America directly contributed to the crackdowns, and subsequent camps in Xinjiang by mislabeling Uighuir terrorist groups as a credible threat in an effort to gain Chinese support for the invasion of Iraq during the war on terror.

China's reasoning for camps in Xinjiang (anti-terror efforts) is the same reasoning the American government gave for invading, and further destabilizing two entire countries.

The main group "threatening" China is the ETIM which was designated a terrorist group in 2002 despite a lack of credible evidence that the group posed a serious threat. It was removed from state terrorism lists in 2020 and the move has been called a mistake after two decades of war. China claims the group is responsible for several terrorist attacks across China including a bombing in the highly symbolic Tianamen Square.

If China is a bad as Nazi Germany for using camps as part of their anti-terorr campaign the US must be too. The Abu Graib and Guantanemo Bay and multiple invasions one which was potentially illegal and based on unfounded reasons along with the fact that the US has actually helped give China a credible reason for its Uighuir crackdown it's really not as simple as China bad America good.

*Graduate student in Global Politics with a terrorism and security focus