Each year, China celebrates Police Day, honouring the forces that keep the country under control. While the occasion is meant to show unity and order, there’s a hidden truth behind it. Police Day isn’t just about celebrating law enforcement. It is in fact also a reminder of the system that fuels China’s economy, which is built on the exploitation and suffering of oppressed people.

Tibetans and Uyghurs, two of China’s most marginalised communities, are central to this system of control.

Monks in Tibet and Uyghur workers in Xinjiang are subjected to harsh, inhuman and often hidden forms of forced labour. This labour helps fuel China’s economic machine. But it’s rarely acknowledged. Instead, China’s booming exports and promises of prosperity hide the human suffering that powers them.

At the heart of China’s economy is forced labour which generates billions of dollars. Behind the scenes in China’s factories, mines, and farms, people, especially Uyghurs, are forced to work under terrible conditions. These workers are detained in “re-education camps,” where they are used as laborers for industries that contribute to China’s vast export network. These goods, many of which end up on shelves worldwide, come with a hidden cost. They are........

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