Comprehensive encirclement : the Chinese Communist Party's strategy in Xinjiang

Abstract

The economic and demographic dimension does the most important and tangible work in Sinicising Xinjiang. Since 1949, millions of Han people have migrated to Xinjiang. By their presence in large numbers and their industrious development of the region, the Han people have made their culture, the Chinese language and the PRC's economy, powerful Sinicising forces in the region. On a political and cultural level, the strategy involves giving the appearance of permitting Uyghur autonomy that cultivates a harmonious, multi-ethnic region that respects cultural differences, while actually denying Uyghur culture the possibility of growing - or even maintaining its current status. And finally, the brutal security measures in Xinjiang prevent Uyghur separatists from cohering into a large and effective movement. This buys time for the other dimensions of the Sinicisation strategy to work. This thesis concludes that the CCP's strategy is effective and if it continues to be pursued, is likely to eventually succeed. Once achieved, successful Sinicisation would mean that culturally, economically, politically, and to the greatest extent practicable in terms of transportation and communication infrastructure, Xinjiang would be extremely difficult to separate from China. Uyghur and other Turkic peoples would become culturally Chinese.