In the clashes in Xinjiang, an ethnically divided western region of China, 21 people were killed today. Among them were 15 police officers and social workers, ten of them Uighurs, an ethnic minority living in the province of Xinjiang, three Han Chinese, and two Mongolians. It was also said that two other Uighurs were injured. The ethnicity of the assailants was not given. Local official states that the violence began on Tuesday, when three local officials repotted that a group of suspects, armed with knives, is hiding in a house in the village Selibuya.
However, for a long time the region has been a focal point of ethnic and racial tensions. The death toll in this region was the highest in July 2009 between Uighurs and Han Chinese, where nearly 200 people were killed in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi. In January 2012, two Uighurs who sought asylum in Cambodia after the ethnic clashes in 2009 were sent to serve life sentence by the Chinese authorities.
As the incidents highlight the chaotic nature of the violence in Xinjiang, we asked the representative of China to explain how does China intend to solve/manage ethnic tensions in this region, since he said at the GA opening session that China is capable to solve inter-ethnic issues on its own?
"Firstly, the government of the People's Republic of China would like to emphasize that this violence is not primarily about inter-ethnic issues. Unfortunately a small militant group of thugs is trying to provoke extremism, separatism and terrorism and present it as an inter-ethnic issue.
China is able and is in fact resolving its inter-ethnic issues on its own. Let us remind the international community of our comprehensive approach to ethnic minorities, which enjoy even more rights than the majority population i.e. they are treated preferentially. Uygur in Xinjiang enjoy autonomy, Xinjiang Autonomous Region was established already in 1955. Government respects their language; when imporant meetings on the national level are held, all the documents are availible in Uygur and languages of other minority communities. Uygur culture is respected very much. In the region there are even 35 hospitals of Uygur medicine. Furthermore, the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China prohibits discrimination against or oppression of any nationality and acts which undermine the unity of the nationalities."
Xinjiang is home to thirteen major ethnic groups. Uighurs are the largest among these groups, with more than eight million people, or 45 percent of the region's population. They are predominantly Muslim, with cultural ties stretching to Central Asia. Many of them complain about the restrictions imposed by Beijing on cultural and religious life and feel that they have been marginalized by policies favoring Han migrants. China's presence in the region is believed by some to be a form of Imperialism. Movements for independence have been active since the nineties, with separatist groups like the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) appearing after the large inflow of Han Chinese into the region. Xinjiang shares a border with Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and the Tibet Autonomous Region. China claims much of the violence is orchestrated by Uighur activists based in the West or in Pakistan and other neighboring countries, but has provided little evidence publicly. In a 2008 report, Amnesty International accused Chinese officials of using the war on terror to justify "harsh repression of ethnic Uighurs.
The representative of China commented to the above arguments:
"China is home to 56 ethnic groups, which can fully enjoy their rights and they are all part of the same family. Among others, freedom of belief of ethnic minorities is respected and guaranteed.
However, Western reckless attitude towards other nations, especially its negative role in Afghanistan has provoked that terrorism, separatism and extremism had some effect on our country as well. Because of that, it is even more important to solve these tensions on a national and local level.
Stability is vitally important in a country of 1.3 billion people. Without stabile political environment China would not have been as successful as it is. For this reason it is vitally important to ensure stability and prevent terrorist activities. Fifteen police officers were killed, while attending their duties. This is violence, which every singe country has a right and a duty to suppress. It is injust to caracterize the same acts in one country as acts of terrorism and in another country as inter-ethnic issues."
Xinjiang borders Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Because of the Uighur's cultural ties to its neighbors, therefore I was wondering how much is China worried that Central Asian states may support separatist movement in Xinjiang and what would be your reaction in case the latter happens?
The delegate of China stated:
"People's Republic of China is maintaining strong ties with its neighbour countries, which respect the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. For example, even thoguh the violence in Afghanistan is still ongoing, we have deepened cooperation and help to this country. In fact, China is the biggest investor in Afghanistan.
Some responses in international community prove again that it is utterly important that this issue stays in our own hands. Nobody should abuse this unfortunate outburst of violence for politization. After all, after the sad event at the Boston marathon, nobody accused USA of being repressive toward Muslim minority. It was a terrorist act and it was addressed like that. We would be grateful if the international community used the same measures in China."
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