Uyghur Question

Abstract

A January 2007 Chinese raid on a training camp in Xinjiang killed 18 terrorist suspects and one policeman. Seventeen more suspects were reported captured and explosives were seized. The raid was said to have provided new evidence of ties to “international terrorist forces.”¹ The raid marked yet another clash between Uyghur Muslim separatists and Chinese security services, reflecting a limited challenge to China’s governance and domestic stability. In Beijing’s view, however, instability in Xinjiang could also bring instability to Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Taiwan. With many of these disputes throughout Asia, the root causes of the issue are a complex mix of history, ethnicity and religion, fueled by poverty, unemployment, social disparities and political grievances.²