I believe that what Xi is doing in Xinjiang is an experimental data rollout for what is going to be done in the rest of China. The Uyghurs are linguistically and culturally isolated, which makes them best for a trial spot 试点 for testing news apps, data, security, etc.

For example, DCEP (the digital yuan which will be launched in 2022) has been tested throughout China to work the kinks out of the system. There is nothing overtly sinister about DCEP, the SWIFT banking system based in Brussels has already been testing compatibility. This is official SWIFT policy. Of course, as more national currencies go digital, trade finance will eventually become a casualty because it is no longer efficient.

DCEP has privacy controls to protect peoples' identities; if it did not, there is no way SWIFT would have signed onto it because the US sits on SWIFT's governing council.

The point I'm making is that all the discussion about Xinjiang defaults to the eventual extermination and genocide of the Uyghurs. But what if it doesn't? What if it is because the Chinese government is trying out something else which does have a security component which they are not willing to discuss publicly yet? The Chinese have a strong tradition of trying things out without making any broad announcements until they have worked the kinks out of the system. Then, when they go national or international, they make a big announcement.