Namaskar,
In today’s episode, we explore the geopolitical, economic, and ethnic complexities surrounding Xinjiang, officially the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, also historically known as East Turkestan. Accounting for one-sixth of China’s landmass, Xinjiang is a strategic gateway to Central Asia and the Persian Gulf, rich with vital resources like coal, oil, gas, and precious minerals. The Chinese Communist Party's aggressive modernization efforts have exploited Xinjiang’s energy wealth through massive pipelines like the East-West Gas Pipeline and the Central Asia-China Gas Network. Yet, these developments have disproportionately benefited the Han migrants, deepening resentment among the indigenous Uighur Muslim population, leading to rising ethnic tensions, violent crackdowns, and the emergence of separatist movements like ETIM and TIP, which over time linked themselves with global jihadist networks.
We also dive into how Xinjiang has become pivotal to China’s broader ambitions, especially under the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), providing a vital overland route to bypass maritime vulnerabilities. However, this economic rise has come at the cost of massive human rights violations, international criticism, and covert support to Uighur advocacy groups from Western powers like the United States. As China seeks to secure its internal frontiers for its global ambitions, the growing unrest in Xinjiang and its increasing vulnerability to external interference could become a decisive fault line that will test the resilience of China’s global leadership aspirations in the years ahead.
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Niti Shastra
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