It is heartening to learn that authorities in China's western region of Xinjiang have begun a campaign to promote ethnic unity. "The year of ethnic unity progress" was launched at a meeting in Urumqi, the region's capital, last week. The aim, according to Zhang Chunxian, Xinjiang's Communist Party boss, is "to create an atmosphere in society of respect for the culture and customs of different peoples." The largest of China's administrative regions, Xinjiang borders eight countries — Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Until recently Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim, formed the majority of the region's population but increasing migration has brought the number of Han Chinese on par with that of Uighurs. Xinjiang came under Chinese rule in the 18th century. An East Turkestan state was briefly declared in 1949, before Xinjiang officially became part of Communist China. A sense of lost independence including cultural autonomy combined with a feeling of being discriminated against in employment and other economic opportunities may be the root cause of the unrest in Xinjiang that often explodes into senseless violence. There have been frequent attacks on police stations, military checkpoints and government buildings in recent years. President Hu Jintao had to cut short a stay in Italy for the G-8 meeting in July 2009 to deal with the riots that broke out in Xinjiang after government forces lined the streets and arrested the leaders of the unrest. As many as 700 persons may have been killed in political violence from 2013-2014, according to the Washington-based Uighur Human Rights Project (UHRP). Authorities have taken various steps to improve security in the area, but unfortunately nothing to build trust among its different ethnic groups. Instead what we see are pathetic attempts by China to convince the international community that it faces an "overseas inspired terror threat." Eight people were executed on charge of fomenting terrorism, including one allegedly linked to an attack in Beijing. Such policies have only made things worse. Instead of finding out whether there are any grounds for the Uighurs' deepening resentment, the government views the problem through the prism of separatism or terrorism. A case in point is Uighur scholar Ilham Tohti's imprisonment on charges of separatism. He has been trying to promote interethnic dialogue between Uighurs and China's majority Han population. But he was treated as just another extremist from Xinjiang. One can understand a hard-line approach toward separatists or terrorists but a sensible policy should differentiate between separatists and those who fight for their rights. Instead of investing in community engagement initiatives, the government has detained several thousands. This will only swell the ranks of extremists. The political oversight of the territory also alienates the people. In 2014, for example, Chinese authorities restricted the observance of fasting in Ramadan. Drastic measures were taken to prohibit the use of the Qur'an in educational settings and discourage attendance at madrasas. The government needs to address the issues that have generated the mistrust and resentment if it is to assimilate Uighurs into Chinese society and maintain internal cohesion. We don't know whether and to what extent "the year of ethnic unity progress" will help heal wounds and restore stability in the region, but this should be welcomed as an admission on the part of the authorities that an entirely different approach is needed to balance majority-minority relations. Beijing should realize that anti-terror zeal is no answer to pervasive feeling of discrimination and repression. Companies that operate in Xinjiang need to be pushed into employing more minorities, and their culture and languages need encouragement and protection. While nothing is wrong with bilingual education, the government should address Uighurs' fears that this is not aimed at pushing aside their mother tongue in favor of Mandarin. The influx of Han Chinese into Xinjiang should be controlled to ensure the demographic complexion of the region is not changed to Uighurs' detriment.
