Xinjiang and China's National Security: Counter-Terrorism or Counter-Separatism?

Abstract

Abstract : Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, the United States launched a war against terrorism, gaining worldwide support for conducting military action in Afghanistan. China played a significant role in assisting the U.S. by publicly supporting the U.S.-led Global War on Terrorism, by not blocking U.S. sponsored anti-terrorism resolutions in the United Nations Security Council, and by using its influence with Pakistan to secure its direct support for the Afghanistan campaign. In return, China obtained U.S. support for its own anti-terrorism campaign in the Xinjiang province against Islamic-radical separatists, a struggle that had been going on for years but only recently gained significant notoriety. However, several human rights groups and commissions accused the Chinese government of conducting a brutal crackdown, under the guise of counter-terrorism, aimed at suppressing political dissent, religious practices by ethnic minorities, and any activities deemed to threaten stability and order in the region. There is also a perception that the U.S. has not done enough to foster improvements in China's religious freedoms practices in the area, and by its lack of an effective policy, has subordinated its position on religious freedom to other political and economic objectives. This paper reviews the history of the current struggles in Xinjiang, examines the effectiveness of the current U.S. policy on religious freedom in Xinjiang, and proposes an alternative policy of broader diplomatic exchange and increased economic incentives.