Discovery of a 1,000-kilometer "Selenium Belt" in East Turkistan: New Wealth Under Chinese Plunder

In a move that once again reveals the vast natural resources of occupied East Turkistan, Chinese media announced the discovery of a massive "selenium belt" stretching 1,000 kilometers in length, in one of the largest geological surveys in the region.

According to the Xinjiang Daily, the mouthpiece of Chinese propaganda, the Natural Resources Administration of the so-called "Uyghur Autonomous Region," in cooperation with the Xi'an Geological Exploration Center, completed a soil chemical survey covering an area of ​​approximately 210,000 square kilometers in southern East Turkestan. This nine-year project resulted in a comprehensive analysis of 54 elements and indicators in the soil, ultimately identifying the presence of a "selenium belt" extending along the southern slopes of the Tian Shan Mountains.

This belt, rich in the rare element, extends from the Qarashahr Basin in the east, through Aksu Prefecture, to Kizilsu in the west. The area containing high levels of selenium is estimated at approximately 49 million mu (equivalent to 3.27 million hectares), of which 11.3 million mu are arable, representing 27% of the agricultural land in southern East Turkistan.

Selenium (Se), with atomic number 34, is a vital element in supporting metabolic processes and strengthening the human immune system. It is also known for its role in anti-ageing. For this reason, crops grown in selenium-rich soils have superior nutritional and economic quality.

However, this new wealth is no exception. Previous reports indicate that China's so-called "production and construction teams" exercise near-absolute control over agricultural lands with abundant water resources and also monopolize soil rich in rare elements such as selenium. With each discovery, China's strategy of plundering East Turkistan's resources and exploiting them for its interests becomes increasingly clear, while denying the indigenous people any right to decide the fate of their wealth.