Tensions have been boiling over in the Xinjiang autonomous district of China. On August 5, 2009, Chinese prosecutors approved the arrest warrants of 83 demonstration leaders in the Uyghur autonomous district, Xinjiang. According to Yonhap News, South Korea, the 83 leaders instigated demonstrations that took place on July 5, 2009.

The arrest warrants cited offenses including: destabilizing social orders, such as intentional murder; setting public facilities on fire; and, destroying public facilities. Approximately 3,000 demonstrators participated in July 5th demonstration for Uyghur independence. It is estimated that 197 people died and 1,700 people were wounded in the demonstration.¹ 

Many people think that this is just an ethnic conflict between Uyghur and Han, China's majority ethnic group. However, the conflict is much larger. The Uyghur people’s long struggle for independence incorporates elements of history, geopolitics, economics, and international relations.

Brief history of Uyghur people and conflicts in Xinjiang province

The Uyghur people live in Xinjiang, located in Western China; the region borders Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The Uyghurs are a Turkish ethnic group that lives in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan. They are Muslim and have their own language. Their cultural background is similar to other Central Asian ethnic groups. They are nomads that lead a lifestyle that differs from the Han.

The Uyghur sustained an independent country of their own, called East Turkistan, until the Qing dynasty invaded at the end of 18th century. After the invasion, the Uyghurs struggled for independence and achieved it twice before the land merged with China. After the merge, the Uyghur kept demonstrating for independence because they were not happy with the Han people’s dominance over them and the economic inquality between them. This inequality later became a major reason for social insecurity in the region.² 

Timeline of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region and the conflict³

1884	East Turkistan merged with the territory of the Qing Dynasty
1944	East Turkistan achieved independence through a liberation movement
1949	East Turkistan merged with China
1955	East Turkistan became Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
July 1955	Fierce demonstration took place in Xinjiang, attacking a police station in the city of He Tian
February 1997	Seven people died and about 200 people were wounded in the demonstration in Yining, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
March 2008	A 19-year-old Uyghur woman arrested as a suspected airline terrorist
April 2008	16 policemen died in a bombing attack in Kashi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
July 2009	Demonstrations in Urumqi, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region lead to the death of approximately 140 people

       
The ‘One China’ Policy and its role in fusing the conflict

China is referred to as a country of ‘1+55’: one refers to the majority, Han people, which compose of 92 percent of the Chinese population and the number 55 refers to the number of the other minor ethnic groups. Even though these minorities make up only eight percent of the population, their territories span 65 percent of the Chinese territory.⁴ Thus the power of these ethnic groups cannot be ignored. If one ethnic group achieves independence, then the others will follow suit. Hence, the existence of the People’s Republic of China will be threatened.  

For this reason, the Chinese government has been working hard to harmonize all the ethnic groups, under the ‘One China’ policy. The main concept of this policy is that Chinese continent, including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, is one. So, there is only one legitimate government in China.  Based on this philosophy, the Chinese government is strongly controlling the minorities’ movements for independence. The policy to suppress the Uyghur is  applied similarly in Tiben and Taiwan.

However, the policy does not solve the actual problem, the economic vulnerability of the Uyghur. The economic bloc of this region is dominated by Han people. Due to the geology of the region, a desert climate, it is difficult to transport goods and services between this region and the other regions of China. Hence, people lack necessities, and the price for goods is very high.

The Han became rich when they started trading with people in this region. After 1994, the Han held most of the economic power in this region. The Tourism industry, based on revisiting the routes of the Silk Road, has been a major source of income for the Han people. 

Given these circumstances, it is understandable why there is such antipathy from the Uyghur people toward the Han people. In the recent riots, Han-owned stores were damaged extensively. This is the reason why the Chinese government allowed foreign media to report the story.⁵ 

Role of Natural Resources

The Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region possesses 10 trillion m3 of natural gas, 34 percent of China’s total natural gas reserves. Moreover, this region has three oil fields, Tarim, Jungar, and Tuha; oil refineries are widespread in Xinjiang for this reason.⁶ 

Most of these rich natural resources are delivered to the east part of China where the Han people mainly reside. China’s Great Western Development Strategy specifically includes the delivery of natural gas from the West to the East. As a part of the 10th five-year economic development plan (2001-2005), in 2004, China opened 4,000 km of railroad that traveled from Xinjiang to Shanghai.⁷ 

The Uighur were not involved in planning this railroad, further deepening their anger toward the Han people.

Impacts of a Uyghur human rights activist

A figurehead of this conflict has been Rebiya Kadeer, the president of WUC, World Uyghur Congress. Her actions drew has drawn the scrutiny of the world, similar reactions have been made to the Dalai Lama from Tibet.

Relations between China and Japan were frozen when the Japanese government allowed Rebiya Kadeer to enter Japan from July 28- 30, 2009. The Chinese government asked the Japanese government to withhold her visa since she was one of the main instigators of the July 2009 demonstration. The Japanese government refused this request. In response, China raised strong objections and recalled the Japanese ambassador to China. However, Dakeo, Japan’s chief secretary said that she was not officially visiting Japan, which defused the situation.⁸

During her visit to Japan, Kadeer visited the central office of Liberal Democratic Party and held a press conference. At the conference she insisted that 10,000 Uyghurs had disappeared during one day of the demonstration, and she urged an investigation to uncover the truth of their disappearance. In addition, she said that the Chinese government turned a peaceful demonstration into a riot and was responsible for the aftermath.

Kadeer plans to appeal to the world community about this travesty. She noted that, “I was disappointed how America reacted to the China’s oppression to Uyghur people. I don’t think the US will stay calm on this. I believe that it will deal with the problem when it finds an appropriate way.”⁹ 

The diplomatic incident with Japan was not an isolated event; other countries were impacted as well. Amidst a recent strengthening of economic cooperation between China and Australia, the Chinese Vice Chief of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cancelled his visit to Australia, as a protest against Australia’s issuing a visa to Rebiya Kadeer to attend the 2009 Melbourne International Film Festival.

The China-Australia relationship is now at its worst in the last ten years. The Chinese government pressed Australia to block her entrance into the country, but Australia did not accept.¹⁰ These diplomatic incidences are similar to those that take place between China and Western countries over official visits by the Dalai Lama.

Views from China: Interviews on BBC News

Harry He, Tradesman, Xian:

Maybe the Chinese did rule Xinjiang with an iron first. But we are learning the lesson. Things have already got better for ethnic minorities. In some ways, they enjoy more privileges. For example I have to study really hard to get into university while it's easier for Uighurs, as there is a reserved quota for them regardless of how well they've performed. Uighurs have a bad reputation in the rest of China. They get involved in criminal activities. They also don't speak Mandarin well. That's why many Han Chinese have little respect for them and some even hate them. ... I am confident that my government is doing the right thing to bring harmony.¹¹ 

Kalder, IT engineer, Beijing, originally from Urumqi:

I don't think the rioters represent the Uighur minority. Most of the Uighurs are good people and they don't want such things to happen. I feel that both Uighurs and Hui people are supported by the government. It's easier for us to get into university and there are more opportunities. ... The situation in Xinjiang is getting better and better. People earn more money, their life style is better than before and they are happier. The visitors from other parts of China create more, not less, opportunities. So I think that the most important thing for the future stability of Xinjiang is economic prosperity benefiting everyone.¹²

Wang Bin, student, Chongqing, originally from Ningxia:

I think that Uighurs are angry because of the failure of the government's ethnic policy. China has given many privileges to minority groups. When Uighurs break the law, for example, they don't get punished as heavily as Han Chinese would. ... And some of them feel that they have been marginalised. I think this is the fundamental reason for the unrest. In addition, it's true that there are many Han Chinese who went to Xinjiang in the last few years and in some industries there are more Han Chinese than Uighurs. ... I think that the government should start treating all ethnic groups equally. There shouldn't be any preferential treatment for anyone, so that all ethnicities can live together in harmony.¹³

The apple of discord that still remains

In the Xinjiang area, it has been reported that since August 12th, 53 Han people have declared that they were poked by Uyghurs holding toxic syringes. Discontent by the Han people in this region toward the Uyghur people is rising. The Han are urging the government to protect them from the Uyghurs attacks. The Chinese government has warned that the wrongdoers will be sentenced to death when they are found. In addition, to calm down the Han people, the government has fired the director of the autonomous district on September 5th.¹⁴ 

Firing a government official does not solve the root of the problem. There is no clear perpetrator and victim. The fundamental factors of economic inequality need to be solved first.  The Chinese government has to find its own way to distribute the benefits from Xinjiang area to the Uyghurs, so that they do not feel that they are not isolated from the Chinese society. The ‘One China policy’ will work, only when the Uyghurs and other minorities feel that they are respected, bringing stability to the whole Chinese society.