China and its contested borderland regions

How has Chine treated its contested borderland regions from 1949-2011?
End of civil war in 1949, communists had won.
1. set up an atheistic state, that is intolerant of religion
2. state policies:
  1. divide religions into official and unofficial groups
    1. unofficial groups have no political representation etc.
      1. viewed with extreme suspicion.
        normally foreign religions
        agendas are seen in conflict with the states agenda, undermine national identity
  2. set up the religious affairs bureau in 1954 to monitor religious groups activities
Xinjiang
1. region in the north west of China
  1. rich in natural resources
2. strong uyghur muslim identity, feel isolated from ummah
  1. feel threatened
3. china argues that xinjiang is an integral part of the motherland of China
4. Uyghurs want to secede and form Uyghuristan or East Turkestan
  1. secessionist movement: ETIM (East Turkestan Islamic Movement)
5. External Intervention
  1. One of the main policies used is the policy of Hanification and han migration
    1. attempt to dilute the Uyghur identity and culture.
    2. change the demography of the region by moving han chinese (the most dominant ethnic group in China) to Xinjiang
    3. policy of cultural assimilation
    4. The PRC has argued that the purpose of this migration is for the economic development and to raise standard of living for the whole region
      1. benefits have not trickled down
        Uyghur Congress= almost 80% of Uyghur population in East Turkestan are living below the poverty line
    5. Uyghur Congress = before 1949, there were 300'000 han chinese living in East Turkestan, a figure which is now over 7 mn
      1. a further 250'000 Chinese being settled each year
  2. alongside hanification, there are further policies of cultural assimilation
    1. writing of Uyghur History is banned
    2. teaching of Uyghur language is banned
    3. cultural heroes: Yusuf Khass Hajib and Mahmud Qashquari
      1. ETIM fight these policies by using posters of such heroes
  3. Economic exploitation
    1. exploiting natural resources for the benefit of the motherland
  4. policies of divide and rule
    1. Jackie Shihan: policies of colonisation
  5. under the pretext of land reform, animals and land were confiscated and given to the Han Chinese
  6. used as a nuclear test site, causing environmental destruction and disasters
6. Kunal Mukhjerjee has argued that any attempts by the Uyghurs to air their grievances and exercise their human rights has been met with reppression
  1. 2009 unrest in Urumchi
    1. Han Chinese beat to death 2 Uyghur workers because of rumours they had raped two han girls.
      1. The Uyghurs then demonstrated their demand for justice in a large demonstration which deteriorated into violence
        han Chinese took to the streets the next day
    2. the response to this unrest is a clear example of the policies aforementioned
      1. Michael Clark
        A major police and army presence was set up in the city
        security forces arrested 1500 Uyghur muslim men in connection with the riots
        Blame was placed on hostile external forces for the events and violence
        Beijing went on to forcefully reiterate that Xinjiang is in an integral part of China
        200'000 yuan was paid to the families of the Han victims of violence
7. periods of very harsh policies:
  1. Mao: forced underground
  2. cultural revolution: immams forced to participate in modernisation. Land taken and used for factories etc.
Tibet
1. Free Tibet has argued that Tibet is one of the 10 most repressed countries in the world
2. contested history
  1. China has an irredentist claim over Tibet and claims that it has always been a part of China
3. Tibet was incorporated into China in 1644-1912 under the Manchu Dynasty, and again in 1951 when the PLA invaded
  1. between the years of 1913 and 1950, Tibetans were free, and it is this that they base their future model of freedom
4. region in the South west of China
5. largely buddhist population
  1. viewed with suspicion
    1. 1959 Dalai Lama fled
  2. seen as more of an official religion? long presence and history in China
6. Han migration plays a big part
  1. freetibet have claimed that there are 2 Chinese for every Tibetan in Tibet
7. rich in natural resources such as lead and iron
  1. abused for the benefit of China, not Tibet
8. flooded with development projects, which have been done at such a rapid rate that it has had a detrimental effect on the environment
9. no right to protest: when they do we see instances of human rights abuses
  1. 2008 protest resulted in the arrest of 6000 protestors, of which the fate of 1000 remain unknown
  2. a UN report in 2008 on the Committee against torture in Geneva claims that the committe remains deeply concerned about the continued allegations of routine and widespread use of torture in Tibet
10. periods of relief?
  1. after the cultrual revolution, Tibet experienced a phase of relaxation and liberalisation under Deng Zaoping. Hu Yeobang also provided relief, he was very sympathetic of Tibet, visiting in the 1980s and raising the Tibetan culture

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China and its contested borderland regions

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	Created by sophie_pollard almost 11 years ago