Xinjiang （6do encyclopedia）

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Xinjiang, officially known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is a vast region located in the northwest of China. It covers an area of 1.6 million square kilometers and is home to over 21 million people. The region is rich in natural resources, including coal, oil, and natural gas, and is strategically located along China’s Silk Road Economic Belt.

Xinjiang is bordered by eight countries, including Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Historically, it has been a crossroads for different ethnic and cultural groups, including the Han Chinese, Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Mongols, and Tibetans. The region has also been a center of trade and commerce for centuries.

The Uyghurs are the largest ethnic group in Xinjiang, accounting for over 45% of the population. They are primarily Muslim and speak the Uyghur language, which is a Turkic language. Other significant ethnic groups in the region include the Han Chinese, Kazakhs, and Mongols.

The history of Xinjiang dates back over 2,000 years. The region has been a part of various empires and dynasties, including the Han dynasty, Tang dynasty, Mongol Empire, and Qing dynasty. During the Qing dynasty, the Xinjiang region was formally incorporated into China and was placed under the jurisdiction of the General of Ili.

In the early 20th century, various Uyghur nationalist movements emerged in Xinjiang. These movements sought to establish an independent Uyghur state or to promote greater autonomy for the region. During World War II, the region was occupied by the Soviet Union and later returned to Chinese control in 1949.

The Chinese government established the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in 1955, granting the region a degree of self-governance. However, the region has been the site of political and social unrest in recent decades, particularly among the Uyghur population.

The Chinese government has been accused of human rights violations against the Uyghur people, including mass detentions, forced labor, and cultural repression. The government has defended its actions as necessary to combat terrorism and separatism in the region.

Xinjiang is an important economic region for China and attracts large amounts of investment in the areas of energy, infrastructure, and tourism. The region has seen significant economic growth in recent years, with GDP increasing by 6.1% in 2020 despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Xinjiang region is home to several natural attractions, including the Tian Shan Mountains, the Taklamakan Desert, and the Kanas Lake. These sites attract large numbers of tourists each year, particularly from within China.

In addition to its natural attractions, Xinjiang is also home to several cultural and historical sites, including the ancient city of Kashgar, the Id Kah Mosque, and the Emin Minaret. These sites offer a glimpse into the region’s rich cultural heritage and its important role in the history of the Silk Road.

In conclusion, Xinjiang is a diverse and complex region with a long and storied history. While the region has seen significant economic growth in recent years, it has also been the site of political and social unrest, particularly among the Uyghur population. Despite these challenges, the region remains an important economic and cultural center for China, with a rich culture and vibrant natural landscape that continue to attract visitors from around the world.

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Biden Will Find That Breaking Up With China Is Hard to Do

Bloomberg

23-05-16 22:00

The Biden administration intends to prioritize a “precise, limited” approach to decoupling from China that will protect US interests in key areas while keeping the larger economic bonds between the two nations mostly intact. Washington will deploy financial sanctions and export controls to reshape the economic relationship if necessary, acting with key partners and allies if possible, but it will apply these tools narrowly to limit spillover into non-strategic areas. Some American lawmakers have criticized the Biden administration’s approach. China is also moving to reduce its vulnerability to US sanctions by establishing dominance in areas ranging from critical minerals to telecommunications.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-05-16/biden-s-economic-decoupling-plan-with-china-won-t-work?srnd=next-china

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EU couples up with India as it races to ‘de-risk’ China ties

Deutsche Welle

23-05-16 21:01

The European Union (EU) is seeking deeper ties with India amid pressures to reduce economic dependence on China. While Brussels is not looking to cut off ties with Beijing altogether, it intends to diversify its supply chains by reducing its reliance on China. This where India comes into play. During the first meeting of the EU-India Trade and Technology Council, the word “de-risk” was mentioned several times by both sides, indicating their shared goal to reduce economic dependence on China. The EU has plans to increase cooperation with India on quantum and high-performance computing while making their digital public services more compatible. "India has a population of 1.4 billion. So, we are an economy of scale, and the EU is an economy of skill — it's natural that these two power centers should come together," according to Swasti Rao, an associate fellow at the Indian government-funded think tank, the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses.

https://www.dw.com/en/eu-couples-up-with-india-as-it-races-to-de-risk-china-ties/a-65649920

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How energy is powering China’s relationships with Central Asia

South China Morning Post

23-05-17 02:00

China is looking to Central Asia for a new energy partner source to offset growing tensions between it and the US-led West. Leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan join President Xi in China, where the main focus will be the joint projects between the nations aimed at pushing forward cooperation in other areas from the economy to security and politics. Beside abundant reserves of traditional fossil fuels, there is huge untapped hydropower potential in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Piped natural gas from Central Asia to China is traditionally considered to be more secure and cheaper than other countries, especially the US. Central Asia supplied over two-thirds of China's pipeline gas imports in 2017, with the bulk of it coming from Turkmenistan, which has the world's fourth-largest gas reserves after Qatar, Iran and Russia.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3220788/how-energy-powering-chinas-relationships-central-asia

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Conservative MP Chong says he met with CSIS about suspected China threats three times

The Globe and Mail

23-05-17 01:32

Canadian politician Michael Chong claimed he had warned the Canadian Security Intelligence Service on three occasions about threats made against him, which he believes may be related to China’s attempts to intimidate him over his human rights record. Speaking before a Parliamentary committee, Chong said he did not want to detail the nature of the threats but said they were serious and “one of the incidents involved something that happened in the last federal election campaign. The other incidents were outside the federal election campaigns and involve threats sent to me regarding the PRC and my travel outside the country”.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-conservative-mp-chong-says-he-met-with-csis-about-suspected-china/

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China looks to strengthen ties in Russia's Central Asian backyard

Reuters

23-05-17 09:34

https://cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/GPYPXLGH2ZI6RAXMS3BX5KG6QE.jpg（图片大于 4 MB）

China is to host an in-person summit of central Asian leaders this week, a bid to firm up its links with smaller former Soviet states, widely seen as Russia's backyard. China's president, Xi Jinping, is expected to discuss deepening economic and security links with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, a region which analysts say has been seeking alternative investment as Moscow concentrates on the Ukraine. The inaugural, virtual China-Central Asia leaders' summit was held in 2020, and China's trade with the five central Asia states has multiplied a hundred-fold since the establishment of diplomatic ties three decades ago.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china-looks-strengthen-ties-russias-central-asian-backyard-2023-05-17/

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Investing in a rules-based order will dominate the G7

Japan Times

23-05-17 09:31

The Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima is being held against the backdrop of four major challenges to the rules-based order: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; China’s global ambitions; North Korea’s nuclear brinkmanship; and the divide with the Global South. The G7 must deal with these issues in a manner that shapes the future of the rules-based order that has kept the post-World War II period peaceful. The first priority for the summit is to preserve the rules-based international order that ensures agreed-upon norms and principles for state behaviour. Secondly, denuclearisation must be prioritised, with North Korea’s missile testing and China’s aim to expand its nuclear stockpile an alarming issue. Thirdly, Beijing’s global role in trade is of concern, particularly with its current non-condemnation of Russia’s involvement in Ukraine. Fourthly, attempts need to be made to foster a shared sense of the importance of a rules-based order with the Global South, particularly through the provision of financial support. Strong South Korean support for Japanese priorities against North Korea should be an important goal.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2023/05/17/commentary/japan-commentary/g7-summit/

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The Three Worlds of Xinjiang

Spiegel

23-05-17 12:50

China's Xinjiang region is drawing a surge of visitors from the rest of China, despite Western nations' focus on the oppression faced by the Uighur Muslim minority. The "Strike Hard" campaign launched in 2014 resulted in hundreds of thousands of people being sent to internment camps. However, despite the repression continuing albeit in less visible ways, the region has been attracting tourists in great numbers with 8 million visitors recorded within just five days of holidays in early May; this was up 140% from the same period last year. Jiang's predecessor, security hardliner Chen Quanguo, placed heavy restrictions on the region compared to the current party secretary, Ma Xingrui.

Jiang’s instructions to showcase Chinese culture are being implemented with moderate success; however, there are three worlds that exist in Xinjiang: a Wonderland full of orientalist kitsch that has been concocted for tourists; a dark world of continuing repression, albeit harder to see than in previous years; and an in-between world in which the Uighurs probably live. It is evident that mass tourism and mass incarceration are not mutually exclusive, as evidenced by visitors flocking to Xinjiang despite the ongoing repression. Although there has been a surge in tourism, the Uighur city of yore appears to be fading.

Research by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) in 2020 identified 380 facilities in Xinjiang that were likely to be camps, but visiting them is now difficult due to high security. Nevertheless, the camps are no longer the same; some are no longer in use for their original purpose and are now home to a technical college. The numbers of criminal prosecutions in Xinjiang have dramatically increased, and the judiciary is under the control of the Communist Party, ending in a guilty verdict around 99% of the time.

https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-three-worlds-of-xinjiang-a-trip-through-china-s-uyghur-region-a-e385b0f5-319a-47b6-acd6-17bd73e90e0c

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China woos Central Asia as Ukraine war weakens Russian influence

CNN

23-05-18 07:21

Leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are meeting in Xi’an, China, to discuss trade, regional stability and security. It is the first in-person meeting of the Central Asian heads of state together with China since the establishment of diplomatic relations after the fall of the Soviet Union. China hopes to expand its influence over the region, which has long been considered Russia’s sphere of influence. China presents these meetings with the Central Asian leaders as the “first major diplomatic activity” it has hosted this year and an opportunity to draw a “new blueprint” with the post-Soviet states that lie between its western borders, Europe and the Middle East. Beijing and Central Asian nations are expected to sign agreements on economic co-operation, as the region suffers from the knock-on economic effects of Russia's war in Ukraine. The leaders will also discuss security co-operation and ensuring stability in the wake of unrest and militant threats, with China seeking to ensure security but not take up Russia's broader regional security role.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/18/china/china-central-asian-states-summit-xian-xi-jinping-intl-hnk/index.html

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Extremism Finds Fertile Ground in Chat Rooms for Gamers

NY Times

23-05-18 14:00

The dark side of online gaming culture has been highlighted by a report form the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, which looks at the way in which far-right ideologies can emerge in gaming chatrooms. The report analysed the culture of such forums, such as the message service Discord, which is popular with gamers. Some of the areas studied involve misogyny, racism, and how gamers open to influence have been targeted to reinforce and recruit individuals with such extreme views. A survey also conducted among gamers found that 51% of respondents in five major gaming markets (US, UK, France, Germany and South Korea) said they had encountered extreme statements in multiple player games in the previous year. The report also discusses ways in which platforms are trying to counter these insidious trends, including registering and recording audio from in-game chats for investigation purposes, and creating a framework that bans hate speech.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/18/business/video-games-extremism.html?searchResultPosition=1

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U.S. inks modest trade deal with Taiwan in show of support in the face of pressure from China

The Globe and Mail

23-05-18 22:20

The United States and Taiwan have reached a modest trade agreement as part of Washington's support for Taiwan and its demands from China. The deal is the first under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade and is expected to set the stage for a more significant agreement. The agreement aims to cut red tape at customs, reduce waiting times for US businesses in Taiwan and commits to adopting measures to combat bribery and encourage more trade with small to medium-sized enterprises. There is widespread bipartisan support for Taiwan in Washington, and the island country remains a prosperous democracy that split from China in 1949.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-us-inks-modest-trade-deal-with-taiwan-in-show-of-support-in-the-face/

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US inks modest trade deal with Taiwan in show of support in the face of pressure from China

Associated Press

23-05-18 21:51

The US and Taiwan have reached a trade agreement which will cut red tape and waiting times for US businesses seeking to export to Taiwan, while also committing to measures to combat corruption, and boost small and medium enterprises. The deal does not require the approval of Congress. The agreement is being viewed as a modest first step towards "a robust and high-standard trade agreement".

https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-us-china-trade-computer-chips-e2e0d4a4e74880bd1c358cf5a9480b4f

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Your Friday Briefing: Dueling Summits

NY Times

23-05-18 21:04

China is trying to counter a US-dominated world order by hosting an inaugural summit with leaders of five former Soviet republics such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The high-profile event, which began on Thursday in Beijing, is taking place as G7 leaders, whose meeting also starts on Friday, are expected to address what the US sees as China’s growing assertiveness. China sees economic prosperity in Central Asia as a way of further stabilising its region of Xinjiang, which shares a border with Central Asian countries and is a source of concern. Series of attacks in the region have left at least a thousand people dead in recent years, which China blames on Islamic extremists and separatists. Experts say that by hosting the summit, China is also trying to fill some of the void left by Russia in Central Asia with Moscow's influence having weakened due to the war in Ukraine.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/18/briefing/g7-china-central-asia.html?searchResultPosition=2

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To invest or cut loose: western carmakers’ China conundrum

Financial Times

23-05-19 04:26

Foreign automakers are being hit by China's improved domestic competition, which is pushing prices down and lowering their market share. Car companies are looking at different courses of action, with some such as Volkswagen doubling down on China, while others, such as Ford, are adopting a more focused approach, pulling back to commercial vehicles to concentrate on specific areas of development and listening to consumer trends. The US firm's move underlines the need for carmakers to act judiciously when attempting to lay down roots in regions with different sales tendencies.

https://www.ft.com/content/0100162c-cc9d-4931-8989-c305c468f91d

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TikTok Generation: A CCP Official in Every Pocket

Heritage

23-05-19 03:00

Chinese social media app TikTok poses a significant threat to privacy and national security for Americans, says Matt M. Matthews, writing for The Heritage Foundation. The app's parent company, ByteDance, is subject to Chinese laws which could allow the Chinese Communist Party access to the data TikTok collects on its users worldwide. Reporting also found Chinese propaganda is laundered to US audiences via the platform and that China-based employees could switch between Chinese and US user data with "nothing more than the click of a button". Matthews' report argues for immediate policy intervention to protect American user data.

https://www.heritage.org/technology/report/tiktok-generation-ccp-official-every-pocket

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Beijing Biden’s Energy Policies Will Lose the New Cold War

Heritage

23-05-19 02:50

A new report by the Heritage Foundation, Winning the Cold War: A Plan for Countering China, describes what it will take to prevail in the new US-China conflict. China has a dominant market share in the production of many green energy resources, including 90% of the world’s battery storage market, 66% of global solar panel production and 50% of wind turbine production. Countless other renewable energy components and technologies depend to a large extent on Chinese supply chains. Meanwhile, states and corporations are encouraging the replacement of the internal combustion engine, which uses gasoline or diesel fuel produced in American refineries, with battery-powered electric vehicles, whose batteries are made in China. To counter this, the report recommends several measures: identifying and discouraging environmental policies that benefit China; Congress passing laws that bar state and federal agencies from imposing regulatory requirements that make critical infrastructure or supply chains more dependent on China; federal authorities boosting scrutiny of ESG ratings; and educating foreign governments, the private sector and civil society about the CCP’s manipulation of ESG issues.

https://www.heritage.org/energy-economics/commentary/beijing-bidens-energy-policies-will-lose-the-new-cold-war

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Economists, Elements, and Electric Vehicles

Heritage

23-05-19 02:49

The economic issues surrounding the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in the US, including their cost, convenience, and environmental impact, are outlined in a recent episode of the Heritage Foundation's Heritage Explains podcast. The Biden administration's new regulations requiring EVs to represent at least 54% of all new vehicles sold in 2030 will have an adverse economic impact on the country, the podcast's guest speaker warned. Furthermore, the reliance on China for EV production will make it economically stronger while weakening the US economy. Trillions of dollars would, therefore, be wasted on EV production to benefit China, which makes solar panels, wind turbines, and electric batteries.

https://www.heritage.org/energy-economics/heritage-explains/economists-elements-and-electric-vehicles

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Exclusive: US consultancy Mintz's executives leave Hong Kong after China raid-sources

Reuters

23-05-19 06:55

Employees of the US consultancy Mintz Group based in Hong Kong have left the region following a raid by Beijing police in March. The move was to ensure worker safety and due to the uncertainty regarding the investigation by Chinese police. Such company crackdowns have unnerved firms in Hong Kong, which are still trying to figure out red lines with authorities before China has plans to introduce new anti-espionage laws in July. This has led to companies' re-considering their dealings in China and Hong Kong, as some staff members relocated as a temporary measure to ensure their safety.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-consultancy-mintzs-executives-leave-hong-kong-after-china-raid-sources-2023-05-19/

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China can help Central Asian ‘brethren’ to unite, Xi Jinping tells Xian summit

South China Morning Post

23-05-19 04:50

China has pledged $3.7bn in financial support to aid the development of Central Asia. President Xi Jinping called for central Asia to unite to build itself as the bridge connecting Asia and Europe. Speaking at the first in-person meeting of its kind since Beijing established diplomatic relations with the five newly independent countries in 1992, he said the world needs a harmonious Central Asia and pledged to expand trade and economic cooperation with the region, deepen connectivity and expand energy cooperation. Central Asia should become an important interconnection hub in Asia and Europe, he said. The region is also viewed as critical in maintaining stability in Xinjiang, where the treatment of Uighur Muslims has been among the most contentious issues between China and the West. Xi's speech coincided with his hosting of leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan at the inaugural China-Central Asia Summit in Xi’an.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3221093/china-can-help-central-asian-brethren-unite-xi-jinping-tells-xian-summit

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China sends a subtle message to Central Asia: Rely on us, not Russia

Washington Post

23-05-19 11:59

China has promised billions of dollars in "financing support and free assistance" to five Central Asian countries, boosting trade, infrastructure and technology investment and including visa-free travel arrangements. Speaking at the two-day China-Central Asia Summit in Xi'an, China's President Xi Jinping presented himself as a reliable partner to nations which were formerly part of the Soviet Union, while emphasising the importance of safeguarding their sovereignty and territorial integrity. Those countries attending the summit included Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, which have been increasingly concerned over Russian efforts to regain control of Ukraine.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/19/china-central-asia-russia-summit/