CHINA’S regime is significantly expanding its empire of organ harvesting centres in a twisted bid to make money, experts say.

A plot to build six new sites in Xinjiang Uyghur by 2030 has stoked fears of forced organ removal, given staggeringly low donation rates in the region.

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An organ removal operation takes place in China[/caption]

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A hospital in Urumqi in Xinjiang, China[/caption]

China’s organ trade is already estimated to have a market value of $1 billion per year – which the Communist government wants to swell.

A liver transplant, for example, can cost around £118,000 ($160k) in China – but with a much shorter waiting time compared to the rest of the world.

This draws in not only recipients from inside the sprawling nation, but also unsuspecting international visitors who travel there for a transplant.

China’s regime has long been accused of orchestrating a non-consensual organ harvesting campaign against persecuted minorities.

Prisoners are known to be killed specifically for the extraction of their organs.

Experts say the primary victims of forced organ harvesting are those who follow Buddhist qigong and meditation practice of Falun Gong.

They also believe that incarcerated Uyghurs fall victim – and new facilities are planned to open in their autonomous region of Xinjiang.

At least six transplant institutions are tipped to open in the next five years, which campaigners say is hugely disproportionate to Xinjiang’s low organ donation rate.

Xinjiang is understood to have an organ donation rate of just 0.69 per cent per million people – significantly below the national average of 4.66 per cent.

It has raised questions among experts who fear it could be part of a sickening plot to use detained Uyghurs as a living organ “donation” bank.

Ughur detainees have reported forced blood tests, ultrasounds and organ-focused medical scans while in custody.

Insiders say such procedures are consistent with chilling organ compatibility testing.

Wendy Rogers, Chair of the International Advisory Board of the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC), told the Sun: “The guise is that all the organs will come from voluntary donations.

“But this is implausible given the reported rate of just 0.69 donors per million people in Xinjiang.

“This massive expansion in Xinjiang – a region already under scrutiny for systematic repression – raises deeply troubling questions about where the organs will come from.

“There is simply no justification for such growth in transplant capacity given the region’s official organ donation rate, which is far below the national average.” 

Up to 100,000 organ transplants are estimated to be carried out in China every year – with huge swathes harvested without consent.

New facilities – which will triple the number in the region from three to nine – will offer heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas/ small intestine transplants.

The Chinese government claimed back in 2015 that it had stopped using organs from executed prisoners – but no legal reforms were coupled with the announcement.

Experts say sourcing organs from prisoners was never explicitly banned either.

Rogers, who is a professor of Clinical Ethics, added: “We know that China is expanding its transplant capacity in Xinjiang, despite the relatively small population, low voluntary organ donation rates and existing capacity.

“This doesn’t make sense unless the hospitals involved are confident that there will be a steady supply of organs for transplantation.

“In the absence of any other organ source, we believe that the organs will come from Uyghur and other minorities who are incarcerated in camps Xinjiang, and killed for their organs.

“Organ transplantation generates a lot of income, so the motive may be financial.”

It comes after The Sun reported how China’s government uses cash bribes and death threats in a warped intimidation crusade against critics.

Leaked documents exposed a shocking escalation of attacks on whistleblowers and victims of a forced organ harvesting campaign orchestrated by the regime.

Whistleblowers who attended a secret Chinese Communist Party (CCP) meeting have revealed information from inside Xi Jinping‘s government.

This and a dossier of evidence laid bare a multi-pronged scheme spearheaded by Xi to silence members of Falun Gong and other groups vocal about China’s severe persecution.

International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China

Cheng Peiming, pictured showing a huge scar from forced surgery, has been threatened[/caption]

International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China

Scans show part of Cheng’s lung was cut out[/caption]