My comment is not a statement on whether I agree or disagree.
"Narrative" is a neutral word. Something can be a narrative even if it's true and I agree with it.
Not necessarily: a representation of a particular situation or process in such a way as to reflect or conform to an overarching set of aims or values
Punishment isn't the right word. The goal is to obliterate Uyghur village life and shift them to a legible lifestyle that is integrated into the Chinese mass market. Having them e.g. pick cotton, aside from being a convenient way to pay off well-connected supporters, makes the Uyghurs dependent on a regime-friendly company and also gives them more income to buy the same goods and consume the same media as the rest of China.
ETA: I'm confused as to whether this comment pissed off a bunch of wumao or pissed off a bunch of Americans who somehow managed to misread it as praising China. An explanation of a bad behavior isn't a justification for it, but something that can help provide insight into why it's happening and possible pressure points to stop it.
Implicit coercion has been used to shift Uyghur people into the market economy. The visible income of poor Uyghurs is in fact the metric that local officials are being evaluated on for performance.
The point of forced labour in these situations is not the efficient picking of cotton but as a form of punishment.
> western narrative of forced labor cotton
Are we calling everything we disagree with a "narrative" now?
We don't have all the facts on Xinjiang because journalism is prevented there - which in and of itself should make us suspicious.