Xi Jinping's Xinjiang Strategy:Goals, Achievements, and Challenges

Abstract

The issue of Xinjiang has generated worldwide attention and triggered widespread criticism of the heavy-handed actions of the Chinese government in the region. A key weakness of this outside, mainly Western coverage, is its frequent neglect of important and often highly complex details of the aims, methods, strengths and weaknesses of the CCP's Xinjiang strategy. This dissertation aims to address this weakness and to make a modest contribution to the ongoing debate by probing and critically evaluating details of the Xinjiang strategy developed since 2014 during the Xi Jinping era. It argues that the government's Xinjiang policies have undergone substantial transformations during the past decade, and that these changes must be understood and taken into account before judgments about their legitimacy are made. It describes how the CCP has introduced a 'dual approach' that seeks to combine government repression with local support, for instance by using strict measures to target potential sources of violence, restructuring the system of grassroots governance, and increasing investment in social welfare and the communications infrastructure of Xinjiang. The dissertation examines the achievements of the new Xinjiang strategy – the reduction of violent incidents and significant improvements of residents' livelihoods, for instance – as well as its weaknesses. The dissertation raises doubts about the sustainability and affordability of the Xi Jinping strategy, examines the ongoing concerns about the weakened local autonomy and weaknesses of local markets, and takes note of the legacy for China of continuing criticisms by the international community of the strict stability maintenance policies. The most fundamental challenge of the current Xinjiang strategy is the need to strike a balance between promoting national cohesion and preserving cultural diversity in China.