Hong Kong, July 1 -- China's harsh treatment of ethnic minorities, such as Muslim Uyghurs in the northwest province of Xinjiang, has not garnered as much international attention in recent times. This must delight the government in Beijing, especially given its earlier notoriety for a sophisticated network of concentration camps it set up in Xinjiang.

However, Beijing's public narrative backfired somewhat recently when a group from an American university began singing the praises of Chinese policy in the province. Carefully orchestrated to reflect well on China, the ill-advised visit is instead reigniting attention on the plight of Uyghurs in China.

Participating in the five-day Xinjiang visit were Princeton University Press (PUP) Direct...