It is one of Beijing\u2019s worst nightmares: subjects in a resource-rich semi-autonomous province hold a vote on independence.<\/p>\n
Ben Marino
Sep 14 12:27<\/p>\n
It is one of Beijing\u2019s worst nightmares: subjects in a resource-rich semi-autonomous province hold a vote on independence.<\/p>\n
So when Premier Li Keqiang was asked in June where he stood on Scottish independence, it came as no surprise that he backed the union.<\/p>\n
In the heart of Beijing the Communist party is watching Scotland\u2019s exercise in democracy with suspicion.<\/p>\n
In China, separatism \u2013 one of the \u201cthree evil forces\u201d, along with terrorism and extremism, that President Xi Jinping has pledged to stamp out \u2013 is tantamount to treason.<\/p>\n
As harsh crackdowns in Xinjiang and Tibet show, talk of self-determination by ethnic minorities or ordinary Chinese will not be tolerated.<\/p>\n
In the lead-up to the Scottish referendum, Chinese state media have carried a series of editorials warning about the dangers of Scottish nationalism.<\/p>\n
The Global Times, an English-language tabloid owned by Communist party mouthpiece the People\u2019s Daily, asserted that without Scotland, the UK would become a \u201csecond-rate\u201d nation<\/a>.<\/p>\n It went further by pouring cold water on nationalist campaigns in general:<\/p>\n \u201cThe Scottish independence campaign also tells us that established developed countries like the UK are far from stable as we previously imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n Willy Lam, a Hong Kong-based China observer, says Beijing is worried that its subjects in restive provinces may look to Scotland\u2019s quest for independence as an inspiration and get ideas of their own.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an international precedent, and pro-independence elements in places ranging from Xinjiang, Taiwan, Tibet, and to a lesser extent Hong Kong, are taking note.\u201d<\/p>\n Beijing\u2019s unwillingness to engage in meaningful discussion over demands for more self-determination of its ethnic minorities has drawn harsh criticism from human rights groups.<\/p>\n