The Change of China's Rule in Xinjiang Since the Early 1980s

Abstract

During the reform era, the Chinese government's policies in Xinjiang have changed from accommodating to hardening. The alienation of ethnic minorities caused by the Cultural Revolution necessitated a loosening of controls on cultural and religious freedom. With increasing incidents of disturbance leading up to the late 1980s, however, the Chinese government became more coercive on internal security and more generous with economic and development assistance. The global war against Islamic terrorism allowed China to justify a crackdown on the resistance in Xinjiang. The 2009 Ürümqi riot proved that the government's policies had failed to stabilize the region, but the Chinese government's countermeasure was to step up, not drop, the repressive policies.