Human rights abuses
Uyghur population
In the mineral rich province of Xinjiang in the far west of China the majority of people are from minority groups. The Muslim Uyghurs account for 45% of the population. In recent years there has been widespread violence between Uyghurs and Han Chinese who make up around 40% of the population of the area.
The Chinese authorities blame a minority of Uyghurs for the unrest. They claim those involved are terrorists who are using violence as a way of gaining independence from China.
Uyghurs say they resent the wealth and influence that the generally better off Han Chinese enjoy. They claim most of their protests are peaceful, but the authorities use violence as a way of keeping any protest in check.
Since 2014, the Chinese authorities have introduced a "strike hard" campaign targeting any Uyghurs whom the Chinese government claim are refusing to co-operate with the authorities.
In 2018, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination claimed that China had interned up to a million Uyghurs in "re-education" camps.
The camps are designed to promote the Chinese language and Chinese values and traditions, however the UN Committee report states that there have been claims of physical and psychological torture and a widespread suppression of Islamic culture.
The US, and several other countries, have accused China of committing genocide.
Tibet
Tibet has been ruled by China since the invasion of 1949. Today a smaller Tibet is governed as a semi-autonomous region (TAR). 93 per cent of the people living in Tibet are Tibetans but there is a growing number of Han Chinese. This number is expected to further increase since the completion in 2006 of the China-Tibet railway.
The Chinese view Tibet as historically part of China. They believe their influence in the region has been positive, turning it into a modern, wealthier society.
The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile believe China illegally occupies their country. They claim that since 1949, the Chinese authorities have ruthlessly repressed the Tibetan people.
Free Tibet Movement
The Free Tibet Movement claims that the culture of Tibet is being systematically wiped out by China. In what some have described as cultural genocide, traditionally Tibetan symbols and artefacts have been removed by force:
- Tibetan monasteries have been demolished
- the Tibetan flag has been banned
- Tibetan signs have been replaced with Chinese versions
- publication of newspapers only in Tibetan has been stopped
In 2023, the UN raised concern that aprroximately one million children from the Tibetan minority were being forced into a residential school system where they are being taught in Mandarin language and about Han Chinese contexts, while separating them from their families and Tibetan culture and language.
