China is presenting its mass internment of Muslim citizens as its contribution to the international fight against terrorism, as it seeks to counter growing criticism with diplomatic outreach.

At least 1m people belonging to the Uighur ethnicity as well as some foreign citizens have been forced into “vocational education” camps in the Xinjiang region where they are forced to learn Mandarin Chinese and Communist party rhetoric. Some have since been released or moved into labour camps.

The disappeared include many artists and intellectuals in the Uighur community, including the president of the region’s top university and the translator of Red Sorghum, one of China’s best-known contemporary novels. Earlier this month, Beijing was forced to release a proof-of-life video of a prominent Uighur musician, to counter reports that he had died in the camps.