China's Minority Problem -- And Ours

While the riots over the past years do serve to confirm the ethnic tensions in China, this article would be of more help if it provided some sort of statistical analysis of the situation or more views given from inside the nation.

I don't think they're doing a very good job of cheating the withdrawal of the Mandate. Oppression of minorities, massive corruption, cruelty towards the peasants (not mentioned in this article but quite definitely happening; there was an article on this on ForeignPolicy.com a while ago) -- all this, in the Chinese historical record, indicates a dynasty about to collapse.

The key dynamic is lack of loyalty -- the great masses not caring enough for the government to protect it, and officialdom preferring feathering their own nests over making sacrifices to the cause. 90% peculation rates (even as a hypothetical example) sound like something from Ci-xi's era, or perhaps Dong Zhuo's...

recently I met a few Tibetan monks who had escaped arrest from the chinese soldiers after disrupting the state arranged tour of international journalists in a monastery to showcase how peaceful and all rosy Tibet is under China.
It was during the widespread protests in Tibet (covering areas outside from the Tibetan autonomous region TAR also, i.e inclusive of the traditional Tibet who was once independent) and the monks were on running for more than a year eluding arrest and escaping into exile.

they expressed how the chinese govt is trying all means to suppress the interests of the Tibetans ranging from language, culture, religion and in educational institutions (both schools and monasteries) .
and how it defeats the whole purpose when Tibetans become more protective about their own civilisation. Its amazing!
I saw them in their eyes. the sheer courage and strength, not only to cross the himalayas but in speaking against infront of the chinese soldiers to the international press about the lack of everything in Tibet.

I talked to them for good solid two hours. i wanted to know more of what is becoming of Tibet.

about the panchen lama planted by the chinese govt, apparently other lamas of high rank are held under duress to speak in favour of the panchen lama to garner support from the local mass. that measure devised by the chinese govt is also well known to the people. which begs the question of the defination of the progess towards a "harmonous" society.

oh yes, I am a Tibetan.
am i being subjective? or am i affected? or am i turning emotional?
I am affected with what happened to my country and is turning into.

I asked one monk to tell me how would u say it in a sentence whats the present situation of Tibet.

he said " Tibet is like a lamp, and the oil is running out"

but these are the facts.

It's unfortunate that the general tone of FP's articles towards minorities in China seems to be one of inevitable disunity. That may be but it neglects a long term possibility.

Modern China can be a multiethnic, multicultural society. True, the policies that the central government enact may not be in the best interests of all but this may stem from a deeper, more wide-ranging problem with the system of government as it stands. Corruption is endemic - there is a lack of checks and balances. The security forces use heavy-handed methods - they lack training in civil patrols. There is a lack of autonomous decision-making - the channels of communication and administration are poor and distended.

This does not a failing society make.

Yes, China is sending internal migrants Westwards. It sounds terrible and insidious if one takes a priori the view that the central government is out to suppress and overwhelm, expand and conquer. From a utilitarian view however, the central government is taking a very logical step in attempting to alleviate overcrowding and unemployment. That the Central Government is also very heavyhanded in preserving cultural and social treasures of the region and in respecting the rights to identification does not *necessarily* (though it might) mean that it does not want to - it might simply not know how to. Cultural studies, anthropology, and well, let's be honest, the social sciences in general, are lagging quite behind Western standards and rigor in the present moment. But at least it tries. It *could* go a lot worse.

Cultural insensitivity is not a uniquely Chinese phenomenon. The US has been bumbling around in the Middle East for decades until, surprise, it realized that there are many different types of Muslims and that not everyone is an Arab. The Danish private sector woefully misread religious feelings and the backlash blasphemy might entail. Within Australian living memory, there was a time when the original inhabitants of the land were classified as fauna (http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2007/s1933845.htm). Okay, bad example - the last one being an example of "White Australia".

My point is that I believe that some actions that the government takes is done using the rubric of utility versus expensive, time consuming, and potentially useless acquiescence. A state still wants to look after its territorial integrity - it might be some time before we see a devolved Scotland-style parliament or a federation ala the USA. But do not presume to judge all of the central government's abilities on the evil scale when there is, using the exact same evidence, an alternative, more peaceable alternative. The more one thinks of China as the "other", the less likely there will be constructive dialogue in this country.

"Yes, China is sending internal migrants Westwards. It sounds terrible and insidious if one takes a priori the view that the central government is out to suppress and overwhelm, expand and conquer. From a utilitarian view however, the central government is taking a very logical step in attempting to alleviate overcrowding and unemployment."

are u kidding me?

and from whatever point, angle of view one may take. nothing is justified when a civilisation is being forced to endanger its own existence.

And the chinese govt dumping (yes dumping, because many of han chinese are forced, yes displaced ) chinese in a territory in an attempt to disrupt the homogenous tibetan area, culture is a cunning strategy of making the tibetans to undergo assimilation of chinese identity.
Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet has a ration of 1;3 tibetans to chinese population.

and why lhasa? i dont have to explain tat.

"Cultural insensitivity is not a uniquely Chinese phenomenon. The US has been bumbling around in the Middle East for decades until, surprise, it realized that ...... "
the key word, 'realised.

china has self imposed on Tibet 50 years ago. when will the realisation dawn on them?

please make a more sensitive thought provoking comment. it will be educational atleast.

"The more one thinks of China as the "other", the less likely there will be constructive dialogue in this country."

Is china a kindergarten kid? why always the -please dont treat China as the other, be ultra sensitive and if need be concur with whatever acts of violence they commit - sort of an appeasing stand?
High time it grows up and the rest of the world allows China too.

Civilization is always threatening the established culture and habit from every society and from every age, without any special discrimination against either Hans or Uygurs. Actually the authority of China government now has proved to be probably one of the best among all the China authorities before by running the minority problems. I still remembered even in the weakest time of Qing Dynasty, they sent thousands of troops directly suppressed the riots happened in Xinjiang.

There is no sucessful eg to follow by coping with minority problem. Decentralization existed in every country. Even here in Bavaria, as my own observation, the people didn't even accept the constitutional law for the general German government. But people here are living in peace without worrying of finding body of people from other states. I don't think protest happened in Tibet was totally peace, due to some report for robing and even killing while the pageant is forwarding.
Bombing or arresting could not solve any problem. That's why people need to talk and discuss peacefully without fighting or quarrelling as some masculin simpletons. It is the time for growing up from either side, not only from the side of govt.

I think this article should provide more statistics and information which made clearer its arguments.