Tensions in Xinjiang- Are Chinese Policies Toward Uyghurs Sustainable?
CECC, September 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Russell Senate Office Building, Room 418
Deadly clashes that took place in the spring and summer of 2013 in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) raised concerns about the capacity of China’s ethnic policy in the XUAR to address the root causes of regional instability. Human rights advocates and other international observers have voiced concern about religious restrictions, security checks and constraints on expressions of Uyghur cultural identity, which they say have contributed to unrest in the XUAR. Chinese authorities define regional unrest as terrorism and religious extremism, and highlight official efforts to foster regional development and stability through trade and investment. Chinese efforts to forge diplomatic, security and trade connections with neighboring Central Asian countries will have an impact that extends beyond the region to nations, including the United States, that are stakeholders in Central Asian security. This hearing will examine the sustainability of Chinese socioeconomic and security policies in light of recent tensions, and will consider the effects of regional instability in the broader Central Asian context.
Witnesses
Rebiya Kadeer, President, World Uyghur Congress
Sean Roberts, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Affairs; Director, International Development Studies Program, Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University
Gardner Bovingdon, Associate Professor of Central Eurasian Studies and International Studies, Indiana University
Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and Silk Road Studies Program; Senior Research Professor at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University; Chairman, Institute for Security and Development Policy, Stockholm