Thoughts on Urumqi

The loss of life in Xinjiang is truly sad and depressing.  I fear that the reported death toll will rise in the coming days.  So many innocents killed....

In looking through various sources in the last couple of days, I was struck by the honest and forthright piece by Hu Shuli, editor of the Chinese journal, Caijing.  In thinking about how to prevent "mass incidents," he writes:

A more immediate task calls for improving governance and building a framework for democratic dialogue. Mass incidents in China's current stage of development highlight the characteristics of a society in transition, and relate to improper use of public power without oversight. Urgently needed are improvements to governance. A process is needed for advancing democratization, letting the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference fulfill their functions, building a more effective system of checks and balances, and empowering social organizations such as labor groups, women's leagues and other non-governmental organizations to widen channels for effective expression of public opinion.

That could help in Urumqi.

I also like Jeremiah's post.  Among his observations:

Racial and ethnic tensions are difficult problems for any state or society.  But ignoring the causes of grievance, papering over the problems of living in a post-colonial age with empty rhetoric and increasingly shrill slogans of “harmonious society” and “family of nationalities” guarantees nothing except that these problems will continue and likely worsen.

Makes me thing of Mencius:

To keep the mind constant without a constant livelihood - only the wisest among us can do that.  Unless they have a constant livelihood, the common people will never have constant minds.  And without constant minds, they'll wander loose and wild.  They'll stop at nothing, and soon cross the law.  Then, if you punish them, you've done nothing but snare the people in your own trap. And if they're Humane, how can those in high position snare their people in traps?  Therefore, in securing the people's livelihood, an enlightened ruler ensures that they have enough to serve their parents and nurture their wives and children, that everyone has plenty to eat in good years and no one starves in bad years.  If you do that, you'll be leading the people toward virtue and benevolence, so it will be easy for them to follow you.  

But now, with you securing their livelihood, the people never have enough to serve their parents or nurture their wives and children.  In good years they live miserable lives, and in bad years they starve to death.  All they can do is struggle to stay free of death and worry about failing.  Where could they ever find the leisure for Ritual and Duty? (1.7)

UPDATE: here's a piece by my former classmate, Calla Wiemer.  Key graf:

What makes Xinjiang so volatile is a simmering resentment by the native Uighur people against repression by the Han majority. Uighurs in many respects are denied the opportunity to live the life they desire. They are inhibited in the practice of their Islamic faith. They are limited in their access to economic opportunity. And, not unlike their Han Chinese counterparts, they are denied basic freedoms of expression and assembly.

Comments

[justsomeguy]

Not to say that the government doesn't have an official policy of supporting the Han at the expense of the other ethnicities (like Uighur and Tibetans) but isn't a lot of it also geography? Since the Deng reforms, the coastal areas and the heartland have been doing fantastically well, growing at an incredible pace. But the more rural, less industrial areas have lagged behind. That increasing gap between the haves and have-nots is bound to create a lot of strain. And violent outbursts are a pretty common side-effect of a society with too much strain.

[isha]

Just as I mentioned during the orchestrated Tibet riots in 2008, this ongoing Xinjing riots just reconfirmed my observation that whatever can't kill China, will make China stronger!

Again, here is some reality check from Elaine of Berlin, New York. Hopefully it can bring these breaking-up China pipe dreamers back from reality.

=========================================================
http://emsnews.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/repaving-us-roads-will-not-restore-us-economy/#more-4508

[long screed from above link deleted; if you want to read it, you can go there]

Have a good day!

P.S.

Bush's embrace

http://www.uyghurcongress.org/SiteFiles/BUSH-bilen%20birge.jpg

http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/07/images/20080729-4_d-0396-2-250h.jpg

A picture is better than a thousand words...how about two...)

[Sam]

Guy,

Yes. As Hu Shuli points out above, there have been many "mass incidents" sparked by the have v. have-not divide. And when class and geography and ethnicity all intersect we get the kind of thing that just happened in Urumqi.

*****

I am announcing a new comments policy, inspired by the sad and bizarre responses that Isha brings forth.

From now on, I am not going to allow long cut-and-paste passages from other web sources. You can leave a link if you like, but do not bother cutting and pasting passages here. I do not want to waste space here on the kinds of material that Isha brings. If he wants to engage his fantasies, he can start his own blog.

That said, let me just say that as long as rationalizations like the one put forth by Isha above (i.e. that the problem in Xinjiang is primarily an externally generated American plot to cut up China) dominate in PRC discourse, and I believe they do so dominate, China will never solve the real underlying problems. And many more people, Han and Uighur and Tibetan and other, will die as a result.

[Dr Red Herring]

I think it's a good time to bring up my Isha post. I've modified it somewhat and made it more concise.

THE POSTS OF ISHA

Part 1 - WHY (2 theories)

Theory 1 - In isha's view, any criticism of PRC government policy is an attempt to destroy China. Isha, being a good Chinese patriot, cannot abide this.

Theory 2 - It's his job. I mean this literally.

Note: The two theories can both be correct.

PART 2 - HOW

Isha defends egregious behavior by the Communist Party of China by attacking the US government and US institutions. Usually this includes accusations of hypocrisy and is 'backed up' by huge amounts of cut and paste from various places.

PART 3 - SOME PROBLEMS WITH ISHA'S APPROACH

- The bad behavior of US institutions does not make PRC gov't policy wonderful. This is true even if the US institutions are being hypocritical in attacking PRC gov't policy. Isha believes that the imperfection of US institutions is a valid reason to assert that CPC leadership is beyond criticism.

- The PRC gov't is fallible. Their policy may not be good for the majority in China. Isha does not accept this. To him the CPC is beyond reproach.

- The PRC gov't is made up a humans who can be stupid and/or corrupt. Isha thinks only American leaders have these human failings.

- Criticism can be beneficial. Isha thinks this is not true in the case of criticism of PRC gov't policy. To isha, any criticism of PRC gov't policy is an attack on China.

PART 4 - WHAT TO DO

Skim isha's posts and if they are the same old cut and paste job, then don't bother reading. One day isha might actually have something new to say. But until then, if you read one post by isha, you've read them all.

[Wang Bang]

The more the West continues to idealize the Uighers as freedom loving, democracy pursuing mirror images of themselves, the more likely it's going to come back and bite us in the ass. We do this repeatedly over and over again.

Yes, the Uighers have legitimate grievances. I can understand how this can boil over and almost even accept when they turn over cars, set things on fire, smash things up--but murdering innocent people in a rampage?!

We enslaved a whole race of people for hundreds of years, and even after freeing them, subjected them to some of the most oppressive polices, so what did they do--they marched. They held sit ins. They had their churches fire bombed. They were beaten with batons. They had fire hoses turned on them. Did they go nuts and started hacking and killing white people?

If you think muslims are just like us, you are OUT OF YOUR MIND. They will take a steel pipe to your head without a second thought. If you think otherwise you are living in a delusional world.

[Sam]

I would urge us not to make sweeping generalizations about ethnic or religious groups. Nothing good comes of it....

[Dr. Red Herring]

"Did they go nuts and started hacking and killing white people?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_Turner

"If you think muslims are just like us, you are OUT OF YOUR MIND. They will take a steel pipe to your head without a second thought. If you think otherwise you are living in a delusional world."

Who is "us"? Count me out if it includes you. I don't want to be a member of the idiot party.

[isha]

To Dr. Red_Baiting

Can you handle the voice of truth? Or do you have to live in the self-imposed falsehood...

Read Is Washington Playing a Deeper Game with China?

by F. William Engdahl and tell me

http://www.financialsense.com/editorials/engdahl/2009/0713.html

Is Mr. Engdahal telling lies or YOU are telling lies?

[Chris]

I don't know enough about the situation in China to knowledgeably comment. That said, there is something to what Dr. Herring says regarding the content of Isha's posts.

[Dr. Red Herring]

Isha,

You're setting up a straw man, Isha. Like you, I'm critical of US policy. Go back and read the few posts I added if you don't believe me. I also think many in the US foreign policy establishment want a weaker China. Just like many in the Chinese foreign policy establishment want a weaker US. This is just the nature of the these types of institutions. Of course, you can't admit the latter. After all, the Chinese leaders are like angelic beings in their wisdom and benevolence for all mankind. What a joke!

What I can't stand about you is that you will promote ANYEFFINGTHING the Chinese gov't does. Don't you find your rabid and mindless nationalism a bit silly? I understand you don't want a weak China, but your slavishness to the CPC is disgusting.

Isha, try to say one critical thing about your leadership. One thing they really eff'd up. One thing that they would be really pissed off at you for mentioning. Then I'll read your list off a hundred US policy eff ups. Looking at your past criticisms, I'll probably agree with most of what's on your US list. But you can't bring yourself to criticize the Chinese leadership in any way, can you Isha?

Love,
DRH

[isha]

DRH:

"you will promote ANYEFFINGTHING the Chinese gov't does"

-- "What a joke!"
===========================================================

One can't understand what is happening in Xinjing without a clear understanding of geopolitics, the Great Games, the classic British Empire’s “divide and conquer” technique. All the above posts by your so-called intellectuals choose to ignore this very crucial element in understanding what is happening in XJ.

Can you read Engdahal's analysis on XJ and telling me whether it is truthful or not? If you still choose to ignore the obvious, why?

"But you can't bring yourself to criticize the Chinese leadership in any way, can you Isha?"

I hear and obey.

Here is the incomplete list, according to the order of what is jumping out my mind:

1.

It is a neglect of obligation for the Chinese government as caretakers of the national welfare to build an economy that is 70% dependent upon export. The slavishness of accepting IOUs for the mountains of containers out of the ports of China is a classic tributary system while China plays the barbarian tribute barriers to a corrupt and insolvent empire. The money that lent to the U.S. treasury should be spent to accelerate the industrialization of the Western China and to improve the spending power of local people, Uighur and Han and other Chinese peoples on equal terms. It is a high time to establish the sovereignty credit as vehicle to self finance the industrialization of entire China as suggested by the great Henry Liu rather than building the foundation upon the sinking sand of a self-destroying fiat currency.

Here is what I understanding of rabid hatred of ANY Chinese government, be it CCP or KMT. If you destroy the creditability of the government, you destroy the creditability to issue a stable sovereign currency and you have to be a slave to the imperial fiat money that all the people of the world have zero control. Nada, zero, nonexistent!

Now I showed my color. I have never care about the ideology of CCP. What I care about is people’s freedom in not been controlled by these Masters of Universes that has no sympathy for anybody other than their profit margins.

…

As stated in my posted on Tibet last year, Chinese government was ill-prepared to deal with the riots in Tibet. They should see it coming, as what is happening in XJ. China should never spend that much money and energy to host that wasteful Olympics. All the money should be spent in the underdeveloped West to consolidate national solidarity.

Respect,

Isha

[isha]

Cats out of bags, one by one ...NED's role in XJ at atimes.com

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/KG18Ad01.html

...
======================================

Yes, they don't have any sense of what was developing. Guns don't kill, people do.

Isha

[isha]

Just to prove that not all the Chinese are as dumb as their government...

http://www.xinfajia.net/content/eview/6485.page
...

Incredibly, completely ignoring the serious implication for China, the Chinese authority under the pressure from the very power which tries its utmost to destabilize the country, would release a person like Rebiya Kadeer who was in jail in China to the United States. This action, in the eye of Western politicians, is a sign of weakness, and for this reason, they would have no hesitation to escalate secessionist offensive against China.
...

The riots in Xingiang in 2009 should be a wake-up call for Chinese policy makers, and they should realize that the implementation of the neoliberal economic policy resulting in the polarization of the Chinese society is one of the root causes of social disturbance.

[Isha]

For those who are still interested in the riot in Xinjing:

Don't listen to me, since I am just a bone headed narrowed minded Chinese nationalist who can't see the light that the empire is always having the right to preach. Here is the comment from the Arab muslim who has lived in China for over 40 years:

================================================================================================

BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) — Former Palestinian Ambassador to China Moustapha Saphariny said Thursday the deadly July 5 riot in Urumqi was politically driven to arouse conflict among China, Araband Islamic countries.

As a developing country, China had maintained solid relations with Arab and Islamic countries, he said.

“China always supports the righteous actions of Arabic people and maintains the rights of Arab countries on the world stage.”

“I’ve been living in China for more than 40 years. As far as I know, Muslims in China enjoy many benefits,” Moustapha Saphariny told Xinhua.

“Their children get additional scores for university entrance exams. They also enjoy preferential policies in health care and other aspects.”

Moustapha Saphariny has been living in China Since 1968 and is the president of the Arab Information Center (AIC) in Beijing.
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http://www.arabsino.com/arabsino/westasia/palestine/1235324094d78417.html