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List of Acronyms
3/14 March 14, 2008, Lhasa riots
7/5 July 5, 2009, Uriimqi riots
CASS Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
CCTV China Central Television
CLSG Central Leading Small Group
CPC Communist Party of China
CPPCC Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
EAI East Asian Institute [National University of Singapore]
GDP Gross Domestic Product
HDI Human Development Index
NDU National Defense University
PBSC Politburo Standing Committee
PLA People's Liberation Army
PRC People's Republic of China
SEAC State Ethnic Affairs Commission
TAR Tibetan Autonomous Region
UF WD United Front Work Department
XUAR Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Executive Summary
Balancing ethnocultural diversity and dignity with national integration and interethnic cohesion has been a constant challenge for Chinese policymakers. With a sizeable ethnic minority population, China has long been engaged in this delicate balancing act. Despite episodic conflict, it could be argued that the Communist Party of China (CPC) has, especially since the 1976 death of Mao Zedong, done a relatively competent job of containing ethnic tensions.
There are, however, signs that interethnic conflict may be growing as free-market forces and increased interethnic communication and mobility intensifies ethnic-based competition. For many Chinese the bloody riots in Lhasa (2008), Shaoguan (2009), and Uriimqi (2009) belie the party-state's claims of "harmonious ethnic relations." In fact, interethnic conflict and violence is now seen as a sign of policy failure by a significant segment of the Chinese population.
Amid this perception of crisis, Chinese academics, policymakers, and other thought-leaders are engaged in unprecedented debate over the future direction of their country's ethnic policies. New online platforms and the commercialization of old media has engendered an explosion of information and discussion about this once-secretive and still highly sensitive topic.
As part of the larger search for indigenous and innovative solutions to contemporary problems, Chinese thinkers are exploring a range of new ideas for managing ethnic relations. Some of these ideas are rooted in Chinese tradition and others are based on what are viewed as global norms. Instead of strengthening minority rights and autonomy, as those in the West have long advocated, most Chinese thinkers condemn the lack of interethnic cohesion and believe urgent action is now required to preserve China's fragile national unity.
This study explores the last...