Xinjiang

Xinjiang is an autonomous region in China and is home to an estimated 9 million Turkic-speaking Uighurs. Beijing's policy of settling Han Chinese in Xinjiang has been a source of tension, because Uighurs fear that they will soon be marginalized in their native territory. Politicized Uighurs claim that Hans have moved into Xinjiang to exploit its oil, natural gas, and agricultural resources. Despite government economic support that has turned Xinjiang into one of the most productive regions in the country, some Uighurs resent Beijing's assimilation and integration policies. Support for the separatist movement in Xinjiang amongst natives grew significantly in the early twenty-first century.

In July 2009, ethnic clashes between local Uighur Muslims and Han Chinese settlers resulted in the deaths of nearly 200 people, with more than 1,700 injured. The riot was China's worst since 1949, and, such ethnic and religious violence may be the biggest national challenge China faces in the near future. Wu Shimin, vice minister of China's State Ethnic Affairs Commission, says the riot was perpetrated by the “three forces of evil”: extremism, terrorism, and separatism. Meanwhile, the local Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) and its militant wing, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), have accused China of genocide.

While outside observers say that “genocide” is an extreme description of the situation in Xinjiang, it is true that the Chinese government restricts Islamic practices and bans practicing Muslims from most government jobs. Further, most Han employers in Xinjiang prefer not to employ Uighurs because they are perceived as untrustworthy, aggressive, and inclined toward crime. Although none of these stereotypes are fair, the perceptions themselves have intensified the gulf between the two ethnic groups. Propaganda by both nonviolent Uighur separatists as well as the violent ETIM, which is associated with al Qaeda, has served to intensify the hatred. Some al Qaeda ideologues have declared that once they defeat the United States, the Muslims’ next enemy will be China.

The ETIM was responsible for a series of bombings, both in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China, in the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The ETIM leadership, which is located in Waziristan, receives training, weapons, finance, and ideology from al Qaeda. Their attacks are not limited to China; the ETIM has also struck in Pakistan and Afghanistan. ETIM suicide bombers trained by al Qaeda present a growing threat both to coalition forces in Afghanistan and to China's security. In addition to the ETIM, Uighur separatist groups in the United States, Canada, and Europe are working to radicalize the Uighur communities in China.

Despite its close relationship with al Qaeda, TIP/ETIM has been careful not to attack the United States. This is largely because of the U.S. position on the Uighur detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. More than 20 Uighurs have been captured [Page 636]by U.S. forces in Afghanistan and held at Guantanamo since the “war on terror” began in 2001. After several years of detention, which included long episodes of solitary confinement, in 2008 the majority of the Uighurs were determined to no longer be “enemy combatants” and were eligible for release. Knowing that they would be executed in China, the United States found other countries—such as Bermuda, Albania, and Palau— to take the Uighurs. The Uighur separatists consider their lobbying campaign in Washington, D.C., where they have built multiple platforms, a success.

...