Dividing the Uyghur from the Han Chinese: Troubling Aspects of Chinese Propaganda
The article by Liu Xiaonan,The Seven Lies of Kadeer, published on September 25, 2009 on Open Forum is a fascinating glimpse into the dangers of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda.
In the article, Ms. Liu offers a number of disparaging and unsubstantiated claims against World Uyghur Congress leader, Ms. Rebiya Kadeer. The claims not only echo CCP misinformation on events in Urumchi during July, 2009, but also, and more worryingly, display a complete disregard for the possibility of genuine dialogue between Han Chinese and Uyghurs. As stated, this latter observation is cause for concern; however, it is compounded by the fact that Ms. Liu is merely restating the Chinese government’s position of refusal to engage in a process critical of its handling of Uyghur issues.
Hard evidence is very thin on the ground in Ms. Liu’s article and this is no better illustrated than in her assertion that the attack on Uyghur workers in Shaoguan, Guangdong by Han Chinese was “in fact a make-up [sic]” by a Uyghur named Kurban Khayum. In this particular instance, even the Chinese government has admitted that, in its words, a “brawl” took place in Shaoguan on June 26, 2009.
The truth behind the incident in Shaoguan is critical as it, as well as the inaction from Chinese criminal and judicial authorities, are widely viewed as the trigger for the recent unrest in East Turkestan. Jonathan Watts reported in the UK Guardian newspaper an interview with a Han Chinese man involved in the Shaoguan attack on Uyghurs. The interviewee stated that he personally “helped to kill seven or eight Uighurs, battering them until they stopped screaming.” The interviewee added that the death toll could have been around 30. While Ms. Liu demonstrates a disregard for the hard-to-swallow reality behind the Shaoguan attack, she also cannot acknowledge the wider context for the unrest in Urumchi that followed. This wider context is found in the failure of Chinese government policies in East Turkestan toward Uyghurs.
Ms. Liu’s assertion that Uyghurs have experienced “preferential” cultural and economic policies under CCP administration must be contested. Indeed, it is contested by a number of academics including those based in China. The 2003 research of Peking University scholar Ma Rong into economic development in western China addressed the employment inequalities engendered by Chinese government policies, and the need for measures to create more job opportunities for ethnic minorities in the region. The study presents a rare acknowledgment of the ethnic tensions that have arisen due to the lopsided rates of employment among Han Chinese and “minority” populations. Ma includes government census data from 2003 displaying disproportionate rates of employment among the Uyghur and Han populations, with higher rates of Han Chinese holding white collar and government jobs, and higher rates of Uyghurs holding blue collar jobs. In this case, China’s “preferential” policies only exist on paper, and articles of documents such as the Regional Ethnic Autonomy Lawhave never been implemented. In spite of its enormous natural resources, East Turkestan remains one of the poorest regions of China.
The solution to the Uyghurs’ economic, social, cultural and political issues with the Chinese government lies in the path of dialogue. Ms. Rebiya Kadeer has repeatedly stated her willingness to discuss with Chinese officials reform of failed Chinese government policies. All to no avail. In order for any reform process to have validity, the Chinese government must move to build trust with Uyghurs. The unsubstantiated accusations not only against Ms. Kadeer, but also against Uyghurs as a whole as terrorists and criminals made by Chinese officials and diligently repeated by Chinese citizens does not engender this crucial atmosphere of trust.
The Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) was founded by the Uyghur American Association (UAA) in 2004 with a supporting grant from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). UHRP’s mission is to promote human rights and democracy for the Uyghur people, and to raise awareness of human rights abuses that occur in East Turkestan, referred to by the Chinese authorities since 1955 as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Visit their website at www.uhrp.org
