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Facing Criticism Over COVID-19 and Xinjiang, Chinese Leader Talks Up
Archaeology

Yang Ming

   WASHINGTON - As China faces global criticism over its initial handling
   of the COVID pandemic, "re-education" camps for ethnic Uighurs in
   Xinjiang, online censorship and more, China's leader, Xi Jinping, used
   a high-level meeting to talk about a different topic:how archaeology
   should serve the interests of the ruling party.

   At a recent meeting of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party
   (CCP), Xi said that "archaeology is of great socio-political and
   cultural significance." He recommended developing China's field of
   archeology to better understand the history of Chinese civilization,
   its origins and its contributions to humanity.

   Archaeology is not typically an important topic for national leaders.
   Some analysts argue that Xi is ultimately looking for ways to
   strengthen the authority of the ruling Communist Party among China's
   own people.

   Foreign scholars have pointed out that Chinese archaeology has for
   decades been caught up in different social and political agendas.
   Nationalism has long influenced the kinds of research archeologists
   pursue, and how their discoveries are interpreted.

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