Geostrategic Importance of Xinjiang Region

Xinjiang in Mandarin translates to a new frontier or borderland. Also known as Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR), Xinjiang lies within the proximity of a cold desert region. It happens to be the most poorly administered province of China but ironically has high economic development potential. Encompassing a total area of 1.6 million square kilometers, it shares a total land border length of 5600 km with eight countries namely Mongolia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, India, and illegally occupied Gilgit Baltistan. The capital Urumqi province is part of the Turkestan region. Within its borders, in the suburbs of Urumqi, lies a location, that has been regarded as ‘The center point of Asia’, strategically unique in its dimension, being the furthest from any oceanic influence from either of its directions.

The Xinjiang Region along with Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and Manchuria acts as a buffer zone and provides its strategic depth to the Chinese mainland by repelling attackers or invaders. The north end of the CPEC or China Pakistan Economic Corridor “Kashgar” is located in Xinjiang as part of the Southern Xinjiang Railway Project. Acting as a gateway to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Iran, it is the fulcrum of Xi Jinping’s overtly ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Xinjiang is considered to be the energy powerhouse of China, comprising the 2nd largest solar, hydropower, and wind energy resources. Due to its dry climate, agriculture in Xinjiang is heavily dependent on irrigation. Maize, Millet, and Kaoliang remain the main crops and staple diet for the region. Cotton can also be regarded as one of the important cash crops. Xinjiang is rich in oil, hydrocarbons, gas, and other natural resources while being the hub of minerals such as Molybdenum, Tungsten, iron, copper, zinc, chromium, and nickel.

Xinjiang Autonomous Region is home to three Chinese airbases of great military significance namely Hotan, Kashgar, and Ngari Gunsa. The PLAAF has strategically deployed some of the countries’ best-advanced fighter jets on these bases – the H-6 Bombers, J-20, J-10, etc. Xinjiang Military Air Force District is also located here with its Head Quarters at Urumqi in close contact with PLARF (Chinese Rocket Force) and the PLA’s Western Theater Command, operating in the proximity. Four of six major BRI land routes pass through Xinjiang. The CPC (Chinese Communist Party) has converted Xinjiang into a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), an initiative to drive poverty out of Western China with the proper land-use patterns, development, and urbanization. Western China is mostly rural and impoverished when compared to Eastern China. China through its’ BRI project is trying to transform these areas. 

Ethnic Instability in Xinjiang

The Chinese Communist Party, after gaining firm control of Xinjiang, began a process of Sinicization. The ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet became the primary targets. After Mao Zedong’s “Cultural Revolution” in 1949, many madrassas, and mosques were destroyed, while Quranic Studies were completely frowned upon and later abolished. Circumcision and interfaith marriages were forcefully discontinued. Beijing in its’ new policy, decided to send the majority of Han Chinese migrants to Xinjiang. The main objective behind such a move was to subjugate the minorities, by exerting dominance. In 1980, 1981, 1985, and 1987, Uighurs started a mass protest to wage a ‘jihad’ and liberate Xinjiang. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, many Central Asian Muslim ethnic groups came into power and stirred a revival of the Eastern Turkestan Independence Movement. One such extremist group was the East Turkistan Islamic Party. The numerous clashes between the Han Chinese and the Uighurs led, to the killing of several Chinese personnel in the fracas. The Chinese government then decided to launch a “Strike Hard Campaign” and Uighurs had borne the brunt.  The bloodiest carnage took place on the 5th of July 2009 popularly called as “Urumqi Riots” which involved the Han Chinese and the Uighurs. After this incident, nearly 4000 Uighur people were arrested and put behind bars, in army warehouses, and detention centers. Women and children became the face of the detainees in these camps. The main reason for the conflict can be attributed to the demolition of traditional Uighur homes which was an important sense of culture to the natives of the community in Kashgar. However, the Chinese officials through their released press reports showed the need for dilapidating these houses in the center of the old city as they were not hygienic enough for survival, and were susceptible to earthquakes. The Uighurs see this as a strategy used by the CPC to disintegrate their ethnic community and reduce their reputation within the place.

The Uighurs have been struggling to pull themselves out of the impoverished region being at the core of the conflict with discrimination, marginalization, and poverty constantly threatening their well-being. The framework in place to tackle the situation and to make it difficult intentionally for the Uighur population to sustain, the Chinese government had constructed re-education camps as part of the mandatory course routine for this ethnic group. Stressing it as a need for national security, CPC had initiated to keep the minority population in check under strict surveillance and police bases every hundred meters. As Uighurs cope with the current scenario, tackling ways to meet their ends meet, the region is heavily infested with armored vehicles, and heavy-armed guards, adding an overall gloomy atmosphere to the region.

The continuous outbreak of violence in sparks over the years, and post 9/11, China took the opportunity to prove its legitimate interests in the international forum. Taking cues from the events related to global terrorism, China has been dealing with the Uighurs with an iron hand, further alienating them from all aspects of the developmental policy. Beijing has been fundamentally linking these events to terrorist attacks, sponsored by Uighur groups settled under Western protection. These groups actively hold campaigns to promote the idea of an independent Eastern Turkestan, however, China is not able to get hold of any solid evidence to link the events happening within the Chinese territories. Pointing out to terror outfits like Al-Qaeda, China has momentarily necessitated the need for security from the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) operating on the fringes of Pakistan and Afghanistan soon after the attacks in Hotan and Kashgar. There are still speculations regarding the origin of such an outfit by several experts.

Even today, Uighur communities are receiving the same treatment as the Nazi Germans did to Jews (Holocaust). Cruel practices such as “sterilization of women” remains widely discussed yet a hush-hush topic to be heard of. This is done to prevent the growing population of the next generation of Uighurs. All these activities have drawn the attention of human rights organizations and the United States of America has declared this conflict genocide. The region remains volatile still today, due to the ethnic cleansing in the recent past, which called for considerable attention from the human rights activists. Home to various minority groups, in particular, the ‘Uighurs’ Chinese Muslims are being subjected to genocide by the Chinese authorities. Nearly eleven million Uighurs, a mostly Muslim, Turkic-speaking ethnic group, in the northwestern region of Xinjiang live in constant fear, surrendering themselves to the atrocities carried out by the Chinese officials even in the broad daylight. In the much-proclaimed contesting movement for independence, the Chinese government is doing everything in its power to retain Xinjiang within its territorial integrity. From involving large sums of money to encouraging the migration of large Han Chinese citizens in the region – the CPC is focused on diverting the global attention from the region in an attempt to curb the Uighur population of Xinjiang. The administrative reservation for the major Han Chinese sects in all government-aided opportunities makes it challenging for the Uighur population to thrive in such difficult conditions. With seats nearly 800-850 on average being allocated to the Han majority, the economic assistance provided by the developmental policy can be rarely claimed by the Uighurs. 

It is surprising to know that the Muslim countries around the globe, particularly near Xinjiang’s borders have turned a blind eye and ignored the atrocities inflicted on the Uighur Muslims. The Neighboring states must use confidential and bilateral links along with international forums such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to urge Beijing in granting genuine autonomy. The Uighur Muslims should also realize that complete independence of Xinjiang is unlikely to happen and it comes at the cost of bloodshed. China’s PRC Constitution-Article 4 should give autonomy to Xinjiang. China must also change its stance on the Uighur Oppression and provide more job opportunities, and rehabilitation and encourage the participation of Uighurs in politics just like any other community in China. Though CPC aims at the development of the Southern Xinjiang region, Kashgar and Hotan largely remain dependent on agriculture. The constant sparks of conflict between the Chinese Han and Uighur ethnic communities make it unfavorable for the business or industrial market to blossom. Indian spice manufacturing groups, with intentions of expanding their business in the region, had to rethink their business proposals due to increasing ethno-labor conflicts, draconian policies, and regulations which made it nearly impossible to get access to the trade facilities. The Chinese government has become successful in not only taking China as the elite in the economic sector but also emerging as a super-power in the field of geopolitics. To push the BRI project to be internationally successful, China should embrace a decentralized planning structure, particularly addressing the issues of Xinjiang as it goes beyond a mere geographical-ethnic conflict with large investments involved within this political issue.

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