China’s dilemma

It is often forgotten that China is a multi-ethnic nation and, though Han Chinese is the dominant group, there are communities of varying ethnicity living on the fringes. The authoritarian regime at Beijing, intolerant of multi-culturalism, has sought to bring about homogenisation thorough two ways. First, there has been a deliberate attempt to obliterate unique cultures of minority communities and replace them with the unifying ‘culture’ fostered by communist ideology. Second, there has been a systematic relocation of ethnic Han Chinese to minority dominated areas to numerically match them so that they might act as buffers in case of civil unrest triggered by the minorities. They enjoy privileges not accorded to locals and gets preference in employment, civic political responsibilities etc. Thus the newcomers have proved to be painful thorns in the flesh for locals and given cause for unrest, the uprising in Tibet last year being a salient example. The latest incident of ethnic violence at Urumqi, the regional capital of the traditionally restive Xinjiang region of China, is yet another instance of the difficulties confronting the Chinese authorities in pursuing this policy. The very fact that Chinese President Hu Jintao had to abruptly depart from the G8 summit at L’Aquilla in Italy because of this crisis back home testifies to the seriousness with which Beijing is viewing the incident.

The uprising by Tibetans could be dealt with severely because there was none to aid them. International diplomacy being guided by self-interest, and China being the pot of gold at the end of the economic rainbow, Beijing could go about its business of ruthlessly stamping out unrest in Tibet. But unrest in Xinjiang, inhabited by the Uighurs, is another matter altogether. Unlike Tibet, which is perched on Himalayan heights and thus isolated, Xinjiang province is porous, being bordered by Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan. Pakistan and India. More important, the Uighurs are Muslims and have the entire global Islamic community, including those in their neighbourhood, to turn to for support. It is significant that Hu has attributed the rioting in Urumqi as crimes “planned and organised by three forces at home and abroad,” apparent reference to Islamic fundamentalists, separatists among the Uighurs and terrorists groups such as al-Qaida. While the veracity or otherwise of such a claim is open to debate, there is no doubt of Beijing’s great concern at the prospect of unrest in an oil-rich region which has China’s largest reservoir of natural gas. So far China has attempted to control the riots through a massive show of military might, crack-down on street demonstrations and night curfew. Yet Beijing is well aware that, given the current sentiments and developments prevailing in the Islamic world, this might well open a veritable Pandora’s Box and create a new front for global terrorism. SOURCE: ASSAM TRIBUNE