Liu Cixin is known for writing several notable works, including The Wandering Earth and The Three-Body Problem, which Netflix was looking to adapt before the author's views on the ongoing Uyghur genocide became the subject of controversy.
Liu became the subject of controversy once again after Chinese state-media The Global Times reported that the author had joined SenseTime as director of the Science Fiction Planet Research Center. According to the report, SenseTime has partnered with The Three-Body Universe to explore AI and science fiction through interactive experiences. It is worth reiterating that The Global Times is state-run media and is widely recognized as a CCP mouthpiece.
SenseTime is believed to be one of several firms involved in developing surveillance technology to help the Communist Party-ruled Chinese government track the Uyghur population in and around Xinjiang. The New York Times previously reported, citing documents and interviews, that the Chinese government continues to use a secret system to oppress Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities.
Netflix's The Three-Body Problem has been left in development hell since it came to light that Liu Cixin supported the detainment, mass sterilization and cultural eradication of Uyghurs. A number of U.S senators signed a letter urging Netflix to produce a statement on the situation in Xinjiang and to halt production on The Three-Body Problem, as it provided Liu Cixin with a platform and threatened to normalize his views.
Netflix announced an adaptation of The Three-Body Problem on Sept. 1, 2020 with Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss attached to write and produce the series with Alexander Woo. Liu was attached as a consulting producer.
It is believed that up to two million ethnic Uyghurs are currently incarcerated across over a hundred detainment camps across Xinjiang. There is evidence to suggest that a large percentage of these Uyghurs are being pushed into forced labor, producing material for use in several industries, ranging from textiles to technology.
When asked about the Chinese government's treatment of the Uyghurs, Liu said in an interview, "Would you rather that they be hacking away at bodies at train stations and schools in terrorist attacks? If anything, the government is helping their economy and trying to lift them out of poverty."
Source: The Global Times, The New York Times