ON March 11, a rare event took place in Beijing. The seven members of the Politburo\u2019s Standing Committee ~ Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli<\/p>\n
Claude Arpi | New Delhi
\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200bMarch 19, 2017 | 03:07 AM<\/p>\n
ON March 11, a rare event took place in Beijing. The seven members of the Politburo\u2019s Standing Committee ~ Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli ~ dined together. According to Xinhua, they attended \u201ca gathering on the sidelines of the annual sessions of the NPC and the CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People.\u201d The Seven Big Bosses met with the deputies of the \u2018ethnic minorities\u2019 elected to the National People\u2019s Congress (NPC) and the People\u2019s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).<\/p>\n
Is this an indication that something is boiling in the Tibetan, Uyghur and other areas in China that are dominated by minorities? Xinhua reported that Xi Jinping and his colleagues \u201carrived at the banquet hall of the Great Hall of the People at 7:45 p.m. to the enthusiastic applause from the lawmakers and political advisors in ethnic costumes.\u201d Kalsang, a Tibetan sitting next to the President, would have said: \u201cGood evening, General Secretary\u201d.<\/p>\n
Xi was pleased \u201cto learn about improved life in his village, where big changes in education, medical services, elderly care and housing have taken place,\u201d according to the news agency. He told a deputy from Xinjiang that they need \u201cto make solid efforts for ethnic unity and lead people in pursuing a well-off life.\u201d<\/p>\n
It looks as if \u2018ethnic unity\u2019 is absent in today\u2019s China. While a Tibetan senior Communist official, Jampa Phuntsok, presided over the dinner, the other leaders had \u201ccordial conversations with the lawmakers and advisors, encouraging them to contribute to the Chinese nation\u2019s rejuvenation,\u201d commented Xinhua.<\/p>\n
Sun Chunlan, director of the United Front Work Department and member of the Politburo, stated that the Party \u201cattaches great importance to ethnic work and has made a set of decisions and arrangements to support ethnic regions.\u201d Xinhua noted that everyone was happy: \u201cAttendees of the gathering also enjoyed performances showcasing China\u2019s ethnic arts.\u201d
Tibetans and Uyghurs might be happy, but this unusual gathering raises serious questions. Why should China\u2019s seven supreme leaders need to \u2018dine\u2019 together with the representatives of China\u2019s minorities, if there were no disturbing issues to be discussed?<\/p>\n
It is a fact that the Middle Kingdom\u2019s periphery is today terribly unstable and Beijing does not know how to handle the situation (except by increasing the repression and offering a few economic carrots). And more repression automatically brings more resentment; a vicious circle!<\/p>\n
A day before the dinner, the Chinese media reported that President Xi Jinping had urged the security forces to erect a \u2018Great Wall of Steel\u2019 around Xinjiang, after a recent spike of attacks, blamed by the authorities on Islamic extremists. Xi was speaking to PLA\u2019s officers; he requested the Armed Forces to bring \u2018lasting peace and stability\u2019 to Xinjiang: \u201cMaintaining stability in Xinjiang is a political responsibility,\u201d Xi said.<\/p>\n
During the same NPC meeting, some senior officials from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region remarked that \u201cthe region has maintained a high-pressure crackdown to ensure stability and safety, as destabilizing factors remain.\u201d
Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the regional government, stated that Xinjiang had been \u201cresolutely and forcefully\u201d fighting terrorism to maintain stability in the past year. \u201cPeople across Xinjiang have recently joined public gatherings to show resolve in fighting terrorism.\u201d
Sharhat Ahan, deputy secretary of the region\u2019s Commission for Political and Legal Affairs, pleaded for a popular mobilization to join \u2018the people\u2019s war against terrorism\u2019 and he threatened: \u201cTerrorists should be warned not to \u2018hit the rock with eggs\u2019 or they would face serious consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
And this is the country which does not want to list Masood Azhar as a terrorist.<\/p>\n
A couple of articles in The South China Morning Post confirm that all is not rosy on China\u2019s Muslim front. In the first piece, the journalist reported about a small ethnic Hui town in the south-western border province of Yunnan ~ \u201cWhile the Chinese government has cracked down on religious activities among the Muslim Uygur community in Xinjiang, ethnic Hui Muslims more closely integrated with Han Chinese society have been able to enjoy much greater religious freedom. However, growing Islamophobia in China has seen both groups targeted by online attacks at a time when anti-Muslim rhetoric is on the rise across the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Islamophobia is partly due to the severe repression in Xinjiang and the Party\u2019s constant propaganda about \u2018Muslim terrorists\u2019. The traditionally well-integrated Hui community is becoming nervous: \u201cWith the country\u2019s top leaders repeatedly warning of the dangers of radical Islam, increasing levels of online hate speech are fuelling concerns that the heavy controls in Xinjiang could be extended to the Hui community in Yunnan,\u201d remarked the article.<\/p>\n
Another article in the same Hong Kong newspaper noted: \u201cThe growing popularity of anti-Islamic rhetoric, which is seldom challenged by state media or subject to the censorship for which China\u2019s internet is famous, has sparked concerns that, left unaddressed, these tensions will spill over into real world conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n
The issue has become so serious that the entire Politburo\u2019s Standing Committee had to invite the deputies of Tibet, Xinjiang or Ningxia to reassure them. Whether this work on the ground is another issue.<\/p>\n
In January, the Chinese media reported that eight people were killed in a violent attack in Pishan county of Hotan Prefecture in Southern Xinjiang. According to the local Government, three knife-wielding men attacked and stabbed several people. Subsequently, the police shot dead the three attackers and ten others were injured. The Chinese media asserted: \u201cOrder has been restored and an investigation is ongoing. The identity of the attackers was not disclosed,\u201d but they were obviously Uyghurs.<\/p>\n
A few days earlier, Radio Free Asia (RFA) had reported that Uyghurs had been called to several meetings to confess their \u2018crimes\u2019. According to RFA, this was part of a campaign called \u2018Revealing Errors\u2019; the meetings were held in Aksu Prefecture \u201cto uncover behaviour considered politically destabilizing.\u201d The same source added: \u201cResidents are called to a podium one by one to confess these errors after they have listed them on a 39-question form. They are also told they will face legal consequences if they attempt to cover up their own or anyone else\u2019s anti-state activities.\u201d
Does it not sound like the return of the Cultural Revolution?<\/p>\n
The writer is an expert on China-Tibet relations and author of Fate of Tibet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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