Xinjiang Uyghur Research Articles

Isotopic reconstruction of human diet in the Ji'erzankale site, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China

AbstractThe Ji'erzankale Necropolis (吉尔赞喀勒墓地) is located on the Pamir Plateau in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Composed of numerous stone circle graves and directly radiocarbon dated to the Iron Age (ca. 2400–2600 years cal BP), this site is unique in that numerous lines of archaeological evidence suggest that those interred here were followers of the Zoroastrian religion. Here, we present carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope ratio measurements of seeds (Nitraria pamirica, n = 7), animals (n = 14), and humans (n = 24) to reconstruct ancient diet and lifeways at the Ji'erzankale Necropolis. The results of the N. pamirica reflect the natural C3 vegetation and arid environment of this region. The δ13C (mean ± SD = –18.6 ± 0.8‰) and δ15N (mean ± SD = +8.1 ± 1.6‰) results of the animals (13 sheep and 1 hare) display a mostly C3 terrestrial diet with variable levels of protein consumption. Adult humans (n = 19) have δ13C (mean ± SD = –17.9 ± 0.2‰) and δ15N (mean ± SD = +13.1 ± 0.3‰) results that tightly cluster above the sheep by approximately +5‰. This is evidence that the diet of this population was relatively homogenous and mainly based on sheep and/or their secondary products and did not have a large input of C4 crops such as foxtail (Setaria italica) or common millet (Panicum miliaceum).

Shaping Historical and Cultural Heritage in Uyghur Children: A Case Study on the Book Series Bilqut Balilar Shexs Hëkayiliri

In the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (People’s Republic of China), history is taught according to Chinese nationalistic guidelines and the history of ethnic groups is built around their relationships with the Han majority. In this context of historical hegemony, the paper examines a series of books for Uyghur children on famous historical characters in order to understand how young generations’ ethnic consciousness can be shaped. The analysis identifies some trends of the Uyghur ethnic discourse transmitted to children (connections with the history of Central Asia and the Middle East, the focus on elements of identification such as Islam and muqams), as well as the presence of a Chinese paradigm that supports progress, secular education, and the standardization of folklore. Furthermore, the article aims to identify how much leeway is given to the development of a counter-discourse, particularly in the transmission of historical and cultural heritage to the younger generations.

Forensic features and genetic structure of the Hotan Uyghur inferred from 27 forensic markers

Background: The Uyghur is the fifth largest group in China and also the largest ethnic minority in Xinjiang.Aim: To explore the genetic variations of 27 forensic genetic markers included in the newly developed SureID® PanGlobal Human DNA Identification System and analyse the genetic relationship between Xinjiang Uyghur and their neighbours.Subjects and methods: We genotyped 27 markers in 2,189 unrelated Uyghur individuals from the Hotan Prefecture in Southwest Xinjiang. Comprehensive population genetic studies among Chinese populations and worldwide populations were conducted via various statistics.Results: The combined power of discrimination (CPD) and the combined power of exclusion (CPE) of the new-generation autosomal STR amplification system in the Hotan Uyghur are 9,9999-E01 and 9,9999-E01, respectively. Population genetic studies indicate that the Hotan Uyghur show a close genetic relationship with geographically different Uyghurs and Kazakhs, while significant genetic differentiation exists between the Hotan Uyghur and some ethnicities from other non-Turkic-speaking populations. The results of population comparisons among the 52 worldwide populations demonstrate that geographically approached intercontinental populations have close genetic relationships.Conclusions: 24 autosomal STRs are highly polymorphic and informative in the Uyghur and this system is suitable for forensic personal identification and paternity testing. Our findings not only reveal that Chinese Uyghur is a homogenous population based on forensic genetic markers, but also indicate that population genetic affinity is closely related to the adjacent populations with common ethnic origin.

Responsibility of People’s Republic of China for Minority Based on ICERD: Uyghur Case

People’s Republic of China is allegedly committed racial discrimination toward Uyghurs for the last few years. Uyghurs is one of the minority ethnics who live in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) China. The Chinese government builds re-education camp for Uyghurs and being detained even imprisoned without a proper legal procedure. The research aims to know the implementation of Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the Responsibility to Protect Perspective in Uyghurs case. The study employed normative legal research with Statute Approach and Case Approach. By using qualitative descriptive method, the study elaborated on how China upholds the minority rights through the implementation of ICERD, and how the international law perspective in the context of responsibility to protect Uyghur case is. The result shows that China has not been successfully implementing ICERD toward minority groups because in practice China does racial discrimination toward Uyghurs. Also, China fails to implement the first pillar of Responsibility to Protect (R2P), where China should protect its citizen from any kind of mass atrocity crimes.

Phylogenetic relationship and genetic history of Central Asian Kazakhs inferred from Y-chromosome and autosomal variations.

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China (XUARC) with 47 ethnic groups is a very colorful ethnic region of China, harboring abundant genetic and cultural diversity. The Kazakhs are the third largest ethnic group (7.02%) after Uyghur (46.42%) and Han (38.99%) in Xinjiang, but their genetic diversity and forensic characterization are poorly understood. In the current study, we genotyped 15 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci and ten Y-STRs in 889 individuals (659 male and 230 female) collected from Kazak population of the Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture using AGCU Expressmarker 16 and 10Y-STR Kit (EX16 + 10Y). For autosomal STRs, we observed a total of 174 different alleles ranging from 6 to 34.2 repeat units and FGA showed the greatest power of discrimination (20 alleles) in Ili Kazakh population. We have not observed departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) after sequential Bonferroni correction and only found a minimal departure from linkage equilibrium (LE) for a very small number of pairwise combinations of loci. The combined power of exclusion (CPE) was 0.99999998395 and combined power of discrimination (CPD) was 99.999999999999999798%. For Y-STRs, we observed a total of 496 different haplotypes in these ten Y-STR loci. The gene diversities ranged from 0.5023 (DYS391) to 0.8357 (DYS385a/b). The overall haplotype diversity (GD) was 0.9985 with random matching probability (RMP) of 0.0015. The results of population genetic analysis based on both autosomal and Y-chromosome STRs demonstrated that the genetic affinity among populations is generally consistent with ethnic, linguistic, and continental geographical classifications.

Associations of cytosine deaminase gene polymorphisms with effectiveness of gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy in patients of Xinjiang Uyghur and Han nationality with non-small cell lung cancer.

Cytidine deaminase (CDA) polymorphisms may affect the response to gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study is designed to investigate the associations of CDA-79A>C and 208G>A polymorphisms and gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy effectiveness in Xinjiang Uyghur and Han patients. This prospective cohort study enrolled consecutive patients with stage IIIb/IV NSCLC administered gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy at the First Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Shihezi University and the First People's Hospital, Kashgar Region. CDA-A79C and CDA-G208A polymorphisms were detected by direct sequencing. Progression-free survival was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Associations of A79C and G208A polymorphisms with treatment effectiveness and progression-free survival were analyzed using logistic regression and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Subgroup analyses based on ethnicity were performed. The study enrolled 120 patients. A79C and G208A polymorphisms followed the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The frequencies of the AA, AC, and CC genotypes and the A and C alleles of A79C were 52.2%, 29.9%, 17.9%, 67.2%, and 32.8%, respectively, in Han patients and 75.4%, 18.9%, 5.7%, 84.9%, and 5.1%, respectively, in Uyghur patients. Uyghur patients had lower frequencies of A79C-AC/CC genotypes, A79C-C allele, G208A-GA genotype, and G208A-A allele (P<0.05). Compared with A79C-AA, the odds of ineffective chemotherapy were increased for A79C-AC (odds ratio [OR] 2.818; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.031, 7.705; P=0.043) and A79C-CC (OR 9.864; 95% CI 1.232, 78.966; P=0.031). G208A polymorphisms did not influence chemotherapy effectiveness. Chemotherapy was more effective in Han patients than in Uyghur patients for A79C-AC and G208A-GG. Progression-free survival was longer for A79C-AA versus A79C-AC/CC (10 vs. 7 months, P=0.004) and G208A-GA/AA vs. G208A-AA (12 vs. 8 months, P=0.010). Polymorphisms of A79C (hazard ratio [HR] 1.617; 95% CI 1.009, 2.592; P=0.046) and G208A (HR 2.193; 95% CI 1.055, 4.557; P=0.035) were associated with progression-free survival. For Uyghur and Han ethnic groups, A79C and G208A polymorphisms can be used as a promising biomarker for the chemotherapy efficacy and prognosis of NSCLC.

Association between dense PAX1 promoter methylation and HPV16 infection in cervical squamous epithelial neoplasms of Xin Jiang Uyghur and Han women

DNA methylation is an epigenetic alteration that may lead to carcinogenesis by silencing key tumor suppressor genes. Hypermethylation of the paired box gene 1 (PAX1) promoter is important in cervical cancer development. Here, PAX1 methylation levels were compared between Uyghur and Han patients with cervical lesions. Data on PAX1 methylation in different cervical lesions were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, whereas data on survival and PAX1 mRNA expression in invasive cervical cancer (ICC) were retrieved from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. MassARRAY spectrometry was used to detect methylation of 19 CpG sites in the promoter region of PAX1, whereas gene mass spectrograms were drawn by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry. Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 infection was detected by polymerase chain reaction. PAX1 methylation in high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and ICC was significantly higher than in normal tissues. PAX1 hypermethylation was associated with poor prognosis and reduced transcription. ICC-specific PAX1 promoter methylation involved distinct CpG sites in Uyghur and Han patients HPV16 infection in HSIL and ICC patient was significantly higher than in normal women (p < 0.05). Our study revealed a strong association between PAX1 methylation and the development of cervical cancer. Moreover, hypermethylation of distinct CpG sites may induce HSIL transformation into ICC in both Uyghur and Han patients. Our results suggest the existence of ethnic differences in the genetic susceptibility to cervical cancer. Finally, PAX1 methylation and HPV infection exhibited synergistic effects on cervical carcinogenesis.

Snowmelt modeling using two melt-rate models in the Urumqi River watershed, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China

In this paper, the performance of the classic snowmelt runoff model (SRM) is evaluated in a daily discharge simulation with two different melt models, the empirical temperature-index melt model and the energy-based radiation melt model, through a case study from the data-sparse mountainous watershed of the Urumqi River basin in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Theclassic SRM, which uses the empirical temperature-index method, and a radiation-based SRM, incorporating shortwave solar radiation and snow albedo, were developed to simulate daily runoff for the spring and summer snowmelt seasons from 2005 to 2012, respectively. Dailymeteorological and hydrological data were collected from three stations located in the watershed. Snowcover area (SCA) was extracted from satellite images. Solarradiation inputs were estimated based on a digital elevation model (DEM). Theresults showed that the overall accuracy of the classic SRM and radiation-based SRM for simulating snowmelt discharge was relatively high. Theclassic SRM outperformed the radiation-based SRM due to the robust performance of the temperature-index model in the watershed snowmelt computation. Nosignificant improvement was achieved by employing solar radiation and snow albedo in the snowmelt runoff simulation due to the inclusion of solar radiation as a temperature-dependent energy source and the local pattern of snowmelt behavior throughout the melting season. Ourresults suggest that the classic SRM simulates daily runoff with favorable accuracy and that the performance of the radiation-based SRM needs to be further improved by more ground-measured data for snowmelt energy input.

Effect of Individualized Dietary Intervention on Oxidative Stress in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Complicated by Tuberculosis in Xinjiang, China.

IntroductionThis study aimed to examine the effect of individual dietary intervention on nutrition and oxidative stress of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complicated by pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in Xinjiang.MethodsA total of 164 patients with T2DM and PTB from January 2018 to December 2018 in the Chest Hospital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region were included. According to the random number table method, the patients were divided into an experimental group (n = 82) and control group (n = 82). The original treatments of PTB and T2DM were maintained. The control group was treated with a self-controlled diet, while the experimental group was treated with an individual quantitative dietary intervention. All patients included in our study were closely followed up for 3 months and the serum levels of variables related to nutrition, oxidative stress, and blood glucose were measured to compare each patient’s nutritional and oxidative stress after the intervention. Proportions of patients with sputum testing positive for bacteria before and after the intervention were also recorded and compared between the two groups.ResultsThere were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to age, sex, labor intensity, marital status, course and treatment of diabetes, and proportion of patients with sputum positive for bacteria before the intervention (P > 0.05). There were statistically significant differences between the two groups in variables to related nutrition and oxidative stress, especially SOD which was increased by 13.2% in the experimental group and 2.5% in the control group after intervention (P < 0.05). The proportion of patients with sputum positive for bacteria in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05).ConclusionA combination of individual quantitative dietary interventions can improve the nutritional status of patients with T2DM–PTB and adjust the oxidative stress. This method provides a theoretical basis for a reasonable diet in patients with T2DM–PTB.Trial RegistrationChiCTR900025477 (Retrospectively registered).

The Root Endophytic Fungi Community Structure of Pennisetum sinese from Four Representative Provinces in China.

Pennisetum sinese is a good forage grass with high biomass production and crude proteins. However, little is known about the endophytic fungi diversity of P. sinese, which might play an important role in the plant’s growth and biomass production. Here, we used high throughput sequencing of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequences based on primers ITS5-1737 and ITS2-2043R to investigate the endophytic fungi diversity of P. sinese roots at the maturity stage, as collected from four provinces (Shaanxi province, SX; Fujian province, FJ; the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous prefecture, XJ and Inner Mongolia, including sand (NS) and saline-alkali land (NY), China). The ITS sequences were processed using QIIME and R software. A total of 374,875 effective tags were obtained, and 708 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were yielded with 97% identity in the five samples. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the two dominant phyla in the five samples, and the genera Khuskia and Heydenia were the most abundant in the FJ and XJ samples, respectively, while the most abundant tags in the other three samples could not be annotated at the genus level. In addition, our study revealed that the FJ sample possessed the highest OTU numbers (242) and the NS sample had the lowest (86). Moreover, only 22 OTUs were present in all samples simultaneously. The beta diversity analysis suggested a division of two endophytic fungi groups: the FJ sample from the south of China and the other four samples from north or northwest China. Correlation analysis between the environmental factors and endophytic fungi at the class level revealed that Sordariomycetes and Pucciniomycetes had extremely significant positive correlations with the total carbon, annual average precipitation, and annual average temperature, while Leotiomycetes showed an extremely significant negative correlation with quick acting potassium. The results revealed significant differences in the root endophytic fungi diversity of P. sinese in different provinces and might be useful for growth promotion and biomass production in the future.

MtDNA polymorphism analyses in the Chinese Mongolian group: Efficiency evaluation and further matrilineal genetic structure exploration.

BackgroundProfiling of mitochondrial DNA is surely to provide valuable investigative clues for forensic cases involving highly degraded specimens or complex maternal lineage kinship determination. But traditionally used hypervariable region sequencing of mitochondrial DNA is less frequently suggested by the forensic community for insufficient informativeness. Genome‐wide sequencing of mitochondrial DNA can provide considerable amount of variant information but can be high cost at the same time.MethodsEfficiency of the 60 mitochondrial DNA polymorphic sites dispersing across the control region and coding region of mitochondrial DNA genome was evaluated with 106 Mongolians recruited from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, and allele‐specific PCR technique was employed for mitochondrial DNA typing.ResultsAltogether 58 haplotypes were observed and the haplotypic diversity, discrimination power and random match probability were calculated to be 0.981, 0.972, and 0.028, respectively. Mitochondrial DNA haplogroup affiliation exhibited an exceeding percentage (12.26%) of west Eurasian lineage (H haplogroup) in the studied Mongolian group, which needed to be further verified with more samples. Furthermore, the genetic relationships between the Xinjiang Mongolian group and the comparison populations were also investigated and the genetic affinity was discovered between the Xinjiang Mongolian group and the Xinjiang Kazak group in this study.ConclusionIt was indicated that the panel was potentially enough to be used as a supplementary tool for forensic applications. And the matrilineal genetic structure analyses based on mitochondrial DNA variants in the Xinjiang Mongolian group could be helpful for subsequent anthropological studies.

“Eating Hanness”: Uyghur Musical Tradition in a Time of Re-education

In February 2019, two major musical performances by residents of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region were widely circulated on Chinese social media. These two performances, one a Mekit County Harvest Gala and the other a performance by a Uyghur school teacher from Qumul, featured Uyghurs dressed in Han cultural costumes performing Beijing Opera. Over the past five years, since the “People’s War on Terror” started, the space for Uyghur traditional song and dance performance has deeply diminished. Simultaneously, the space for Uyghurs performing Hanness through Chinese traditional opera and Red songs has dramatically increased. Drawing on open source Uyghur and Chinese-language media, ethnographic fieldwork, and interviews with Uyghurs in diaspora, this article analyses the changing role of music in Uyghur religious and ritual life by tracing the way state cultural ministries have dramatically increased their attempts to separate Uyghur music from its Sufi Islamic origins in order to produce a non-threatening “permitted difference” (Schein 2000). Since 2016, the re-education campaign of the Chinese government on Uyghur society has intensified this disconnection by promoting an erasure of even the state-curated “difference” of happy, exoticized Uyghurs on stage. Han traditional music is now replacing Uyghur traditional music, which shows an intensification of symbolic violence toward Uyghur traditional knowledge and aesthetics. In a time of Uyghur re-education, musical performance on stage has become a space for political rituals of loyalty to a Han nationalist vision of the Chinese state.

Genetic variability and structure of populations of &lt;i&gt;Homoeosoma nebulella&lt;/i&gt; (Denis et Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in northern China

In recent years, there have been significant outbreaks of the European sunflower moth (ESM) Homoeosoma nebulella in northern China, causing enormous agricultural losses to local farmers. Although some control measures have been investigated, there is limited knowledge about genetic structure among ESM populations which may be related to pest outbreak. In this study, we analyzed the genetic variation and genetic structure of ESM. Our results showed that genetic differentiation was low among populations (2.73%), while it was high within individuals (60.73%), and among individuals within populations (32.59%). Dendograms based on Fst and genetic distance revealed that populations from Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region were first clustered and subsequently grouped with populations from Heilongjiang province. The outbreaks of ESM in Inner Mongolia may be caused by dispersal of ESM from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Benefits of normal body mass index on physical fitness: A cross-sectional study among children and adolescents in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.

ObjectiveTo assess the association between body mass index (BMI) and physical fitness index (PFI) among children and adolescents in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China.MethodsIn total, 17,618 children and adolescents aged 7–18 years from the selected region were enrolled in this cross-sectional study (8,800 boys and 8,818 girls). Participants were stratified by age and sex and divided into five groups by BMI percentiles: very low (BMI <5th percentile); low, (5th ≤ BMI < 15th percentile); normal (15th ≤ BMI < 85th percentile); high (85th ≤ BMI < 95th percentile); and very high (BMI ≥95th percentile). PFI was assessed by height, weight, and five health-related fitness indicators (grip strength, standing long jump, sit and reach, 50 m dash, and endurance run).ResultsBMI was significantly associated with PFI during adolescence (13–18 years) in boys and pre-adolescence (7–12 years) in girls. Between the ages of 13 and 18 years, an increase in BMI had a greater impact on PFI in boys than girls. PFI showed a parabolic curvilinear relationship with BMI.ConclusionChildren and adolescents in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with a normal BMI demonstrated good physical fitness. A BMI below or above the normal range may contribute to poor physical fitness. The relationship between BMI and PFI shows an inverted U-shaped curve.

Beijing’s Pivot West: The Convergence of Innenpolitik and Aussenpolitik on China’s ‘Belt and Road’?

ABSTRACTThis article seeks to contribute to ongoing debates about the causes and consequences of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It argues via a neoclassical realist analysis that BRI can be seen as the product of the convergence of Aussenpolitik (foreign policy) and Innenpolitik (domestic politics) factors in China’s grand strategy, specifically enduring desires to balance against American primacy and to secure China’s frontier regions such as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The article concludes that the intersection of these objectives with the geopolitical logic of BRI (i.e. combating American primacy in the maritime domain of the Indo-Pacific through China-led Eurasian integration) provides an explanation for the timing and intensity of Beijing’s imposition of a pervasive ‘security state’ in Xinjiang.

Deborah Kim. Topics in the syntax of Sarikoli

The present work, a PhD thesis defended at Leiden University in 2017, presents a detailed study of some chosen syntactic subjects of the Sarikoli language. Sarikoli is a member of the Pamir group of Eastern Iranian. Being spoken south of Kashgar (on the border to Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan) in the eastern Pamir mountains in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, Sarikoli is also geographically the easternmost of the contemporary Iranian varieties. The first chapter provides a ...

HPV genotype prevalence and distribution during 2009\u20132018 in Xinjiang, China: baseline surveys prior to mass HPV vaccination

BackgroundThe aim of this paper was to conduct a baseline survey of HPV infection in unvaccinated women in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region before the mass use of HPV vaccine.MethodsBetween 2008 and 2018, the HPV genotype detected by a PCR-based hybridization gene chip assay of 37,722 women who were from Gynecology Department and Health Management Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were tested HPV genotype by a PCR-based hybridization gene chip assay. All statistical analysis methods were performed with this statistical software including Python version 3.6.1, R Software 3.5.1 and Excel 2011.ResultsThe total positive rate for HPV was 14.02%, the most prevalent genotypes were HPV 16 (3.79%), HPV 52 (2.47%), HPV 58 (1.76%), HPV 53 (1.35%) and HPV 31 (0.72%). The single infection (11.34%) and high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection (9.72%) was the main prevalence of HPV. Age-specific HPV distribution was presented as a bimodal curve, while the youngest age group (≤25 years) presented the highest HPV infection rate (20.78%), which was followed by a second peak for the 36–40 age group. According to the ethnic stratification, the HPV infection prevalence ranging from the high to low was: Mongol (16.36%), Hui (15.15%), Kazak (14.47%), Han (14.43%), Other (14.37%), Uygher (10.96%). From 2009 to 2013, the HPV infection rate fluctuated but did not changed much. It peaked in 2014 and then fell significantly, reached the bottom point in 2017 and rose slightly in 2018. In 2015, the infection rate of HPVl6 and 52 in the population was almost the same (both 3.40%) the infection rate of HPV52 type (3.31%) was higher than that of HPVl6 type (2.18%) and became the dominant type in 2016.ConclusionsWe present data regarding the prevalence and type distribution of HPV infection, which could serve as the valuable reference to guide nationwide cervical cancer screening. These baseline data enable the estimates of maximum HPV vaccine impact across time and provide critical reference measurements which are important to the assess of clinical benefits and potential harms in HPV vaccination and the increase in non-vaccine HPV types.

중국의 개혁개방 정책과 신장위구르자치구의 개발

중국의 개혁개방 정책과 신장위구르자치구의 개발

Surveillance in China’s Xinjiang Region: Ethnic Sorting, Coercion, and Inducement

ABSTRACT Over the last decade, the Chinese Communist Party has built an unprecedented surveillant assemblage in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) with the region’s Uyghur Muslim minority as the chief target of augmented Party-state controls. This article interrogates the mechanics, logic and implications of Xinjiang’s surveillance society. It demonstrates how Party-state monitoring comes not only in the form of physical monitoring and forced kinship but also automated, technology-driven tools such as GPS tracking, voice and facial recognition technologies, machine learning algorithms, and other software and hardware. The Chinese Party-state employs surveillance to delineate ‘correct’ thought and behaviour among its citizens, and then persuade (through coercion and inducement) self-alignment with Party and Han-defined norms. The results are fewer spaces for autonomous, bottom-up social mobilization by the Uyghurs and other minorities, the abolition of non-Han cultural, linguistic and religious practices, and the erosion of social trust in Xinjiang society.

Interwoven ‘Destinies’: The Significance of Xinjiang to the China Dream, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the Xi Jinping Legacy

ABSTRACT The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) has been an uncomfortable fit within the Chinese state. However, XUAR’s location on the Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) has increased the importance of this frontier region and it is now an important element in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China’s future. Moreover, given the BRI now underpins Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, XUAR has increasingly become interwoven into the China Dream, the BRI and Xi’s legacy, resulting in serious human rights violations there. This article argues that the repressive control of XUAR demonstrates Beijing’s acute anxiety over opening this region up to external influences, particularly from Central Asian and Middle Eastern SREB states.