China under stress: The Xinjiang question

Abstract

On 5 July 2009, the capital city of China's Xinjiang Province exploded in violence. The riots that took place on that summer's day in Xinjiang should have come as no surprise. Although things usually appear calm on the surface in Xinjiang, deep down there is tremendous discontent and resentment among Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim group. The Chinese government needs to ask itself what caused such a horrific event to take place. If not, 5 July 2009 will be a prelude of what is to come. As of now, Xinjiang is not a place where terrorists or people with extremist views have a stronghold, but if the government continues in the same direction, it may produce people who espouse such views. This article will examine how the roots of Uighur rage are found in Beijing's long-established anti-Uighur policies, which are based on the idea of Han superiority. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.