The city of KashgarA city on China's western border, near Afghanistan. Historically, it acted as the link between China and the Middle East., in the province of Xinjiang in western China, was once home to a well-established, vibrant community: the Uighurs, a Chinese Muslim culture with its own language and customs.

Only four years ago, the streets, shops and windows of the city's old Gaotai quarter were full of men, women and children in their distinctive Islamic clothes, chatting, shouting, living their lives.

But today, houses that they occupied for six centuries stand silent. Entire neighbourhoods are deserted. Tourists who try to visit Gaotai are given a curt response by police escorts: "No one is there." The Uighurs are gone, transported in their hundreds of thousands to vast "re-education camps".

This repression, which some are calling genocide, has led sociologist Salvatore Babones and human rights activist Zhou Fengsuo to claim that there are similarities between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Adolf Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany.

Zhou argues that, like the Nazis, China is persecuting ethnic minorities that it regards as "subversive". In addition to the Uighurs, another religious group, the Falun GongA religious movement that draws on Buddhism and Taoism. The Chinese state claims that it is a threat to society and has brutally clamped down on it., have been subjected to state repression for two decades.

This is not the only parallel. After coming to power in 1933, Hitler invaded nearby countries to expand Germany's territory. Babones insists that Xi Jinping is doing the same thing, threatening China's much smaller neighbour, TaiwanAn island country in east Asia. China still claims to be the legitimate owner of Taiwan, while the Taiwanese government until recently claimed to be the legitimate government of the whole of China..

Before 1949, Taiwan was part of China. It now claims to be an independent state, but China refuses to recognise its independence. Some think that it is waiting for an opportunity to seize Taiwan by force.

China is also sparking conflicts on its other borders. In recent months, several people have been killed in clashes between Chinese and Indian patrols on the Himalayan border between the two countries.

Babones sees similarities on the global stage as well. Hitler forged alliances with other dictators in Italy, Greece, and Japan. International observers have warned that China is doing the same, creating ties with authoritarian regimesForms of government characterised by the centralisation of power. Authoritarian governments tend to restrict people's rights and freedoms. in Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.

But some argue that the similarities between Xi and Hitler are exaggerated. They point out that all of China's new allies, along with China itself, have been targeted by US sanctions in recent years. They believe that the alliance is defensive, not aggressive.

They also suggest that Xi's expansionist policies are really aimed at shoring up his support among the Chinese people. China's educated middle classPeople of middling incomes and advanced education, whose consent is generally essential to propping up any state. is increasingly unhappy with the country's oppressive restrictions on everyday life. There is discontent over the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, and declining economic growth.

Bullying China's neighbours and repressing its minorities allows Xi to stir up nationalist sentiment and distract people from the failures of his government.

In this sense, they argue, he is less like Hitler, and more like another modern leader who has faced the same comparison: US President Donald Trump.

Yes, say some. Just like Hitler, Xi sits at the head of a police state that persecutes ethnic minorities and keeps the population living in fear. He is using his military might to threaten smaller nations. Western powers were slow to act when Hitler threatened to take over Europe, they argue; democratic leaders cannot afford to make the same mistake again with China.

Not at all, say others. They argue that comparing anyone with Hitler, whose racist ideology murdered six million people, is wrong. Furthermore, comparisons between Hitler and leaders like Iraq's Saddam HusseinThe president of Iraq from 1979 until 2003, when he was toppled by the USA. He was compared with Hitler because of his persecution of Kurds, an ethnic minority in northern Iraq, and his 1990 invasion of neighbouring Kuwait. have been used to justify disastrous military interventions. They fear that the same will happen with China. The comparison encourages a military response - instead of a diplomatic solution.