The ongoing unrest in Xinjiang, China is now escalating to the point where Beijing needs to take the issue seriously and simply not keep dismissing it as a “terrorist attack.” China needs to hear out the legitimate concerns of the Uighurs, and recognize that their rising tensions with China are both historically and politically entrenched. A legitimate valid outlet needs to be established to receive Uighur concerns in Beijing.

Problems between China and the Uighurs, the indigenous ethnic population living in Xinjiang, have been escalating since China’s 1949 Revolution when Mao and the communists took control of the country. The Han Chinese have been slowly immigrating to Xinjiang and it is no surprise that the Uighur population feel threatened, since Xinjiang only officially became a part of Communist China in 1949. It is also important to point out the evident differences between the Uighurs and the Han Chinese – the Uighurs regard themselves “culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian Nations,” and Islam is an important part of their lives. Their language is also distinctively different from the Chinese, and is more closely related to Turkish. The long history of antagonism between the two groups is the main reason for the current turmoil in the region.

If this area has been antagonized for decades, why is the violence escalating and death tolls rising now? Uighur militants seem to have been drawing more on models of terrorism in the Middle East, and this could also be a move to split up the two groups. In any case, Beijing can no longer continue to suppress and ignore Uighur concerns, since it is clear that some have dared to take and will probably continue to take drastic measures to further their own political agenda. One could even suggest that this is a push for separatism from China.

Beijing needs to create an outlet and hear out the dismayed voices of the Uighurs, who fear that their traditional culture is destroyed. The regional government only continues to blame extremists and separatists in the area, inspired by overseas terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda. Uighur protests have now escalated with 40 ‘rioters’, 6 civilians, and 4 police officers being killed. Meanwhile, the Uighur community argues that it is the oppressive Chinese regime that has pushed many to resort to violence. News reports in the area is not necessarily reliable however, since the Chinese government strictly controls all media outlets. Reports are often delayed with no explanations, thus confirming these reports is almost impossible.

Xinjiang is only one example of regional distress from ethnic and religious groups oppressed by states. The Uighurs do not identify themselves as Chinese, although they are forced to be subject to Chinese rule and oppression, along with local quarrels with Han Chinese moving into the area. National governments need to start realizing the consequences of historical territorial disputes and should engage in actively mending damaged relations with different groups in their countries.

Officials from both China and North Korea have maintained the position that the two countries’ relations have been quite normal. In the public sphere, they have emphasized “bilateral friendly ties” with each other, and China continues to be North Korea’s greatest ally. This seemingly harmonious relationship however, has lately been questioned and is arguably strained. News of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s visit to China sometime “down the road” doesn’t seem too convincing either.

It has been recently reported by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency that Kim Jong Un might pay China a visit soon, stated by China’s ambassador Qiu Guohong. On the face of it, Chinese-North Korean relations seem to be going quite smoothly but arguably, it is slowly breaking down due to multiple reasons – namely China’s growing interests in South Korean diplomatic relations, and North Korea’s nuclear weapons.

Beijing and Seoul have recently had growing friendly diplomatic relations, such as its common interest in standing together to pressure Japan in resolving historical issues involving atrocities committed during World War II. In addition, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Seoul earlier this year, just after taking office in 2013 despite the fact that he hasn’t paid Pyongyang a visit yet or invited Kim Jong Un to visit Beijing. China’s concerns in forming closer ties with South Korea could involve strategic moves that will bring Seoul closer to Beijing instead of Washington, allowing China to have more influence in the region with less US interference. One could even go further and say that if greater bonds between Beijing and Seoul are formed, the rise of China as an upcoming hegemon would be greater recognized. However, it is obvious that closer ties with Seoul would come at the expense of close relations with Pyongyang.

North Korea’s ongoing nuclear weapons program and its conduction of tests are also making China feel very uneasy, not only because of its close geographical proximity, but also because of the hostile international response that North Korea is getting from these tests. China has already warned their supposed allies about nuclear testing, and Pyongyang has conducted a few of these just before Xi took office. American reaction to Pyongyang’s actions have not been positive as well, which could prompt for more nuclear weapons advancement in Washington – a situation which Beijing is not too happy about.

It can be stated that China is becoming increasingly uncomfortable with North Korea, although they state to have been maintaining a “normal relationship.” China might not yet be willing to part ways with such a close ally, although it is seeming to be more advantageous to take the other position, for China’s growing international interests.

Welcome to UBC Blogs. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!