Over the past twenty-five years, China has undergone rapid social and economic change. A report by Human Rights in China and Minority Rights Group International argues that this transformation has exposed the Chinese government’s negative policies towards minorities. Key issues preventing minorities from exercising their rights include limited political participation, inequitable development and inadequate protection of minority cultural identity.
China uses its status as a ‘developing’ country and the ‘war on terror’ to justify its harsh treatment of minorities seeking greater rights, protection, and autonomy. Autonomous regions are becoming increasingly militarised as part of the government’s response against perceived insurgency threats. The report focuses on three minority groups living in autonomous regions within China: Mongols, Tibetans, and Uyghurs.
China is experiencing rising and destabilising levels of inequality, social unrest and protests fuelled by growing inequality and rights violations. Instead of addressing the causes of social unrest, China’s response has been crackdowns, repression, censorship, and state-sanctioned violence. This will only heighten tensions and increase grievances. Although minorities are targeted, they are not the sole victims of state injustices. Minority rights protection therefore has implications for wider human rights issues across China. Control and suppression are used against any individual or group that the government perceives as a threat.
Mongols, Tibetans and Ugyhurs living in autonomous regions face several obstacles. These are major sources of tension and potential causes of conflict.
- Limited and ineffectual political participation. Minorities are unable to exercise significant legislative or administrative power to carry out self-governance in their own communities. Minority women fare even worse than minority men.
- Inequitable and discriminatory development. Highly inequitable development policies, benefiting China’s political and geographic centre, have neglected minorities’ basic needs and used their land and resources without consultation.
- Inadequate protection of minority cultural identity: integrationist strategies threaten to erase ethnic identity by attacking cultural practices, religious preference and minority languages. Minority languages are being phased out of education in autonomous regions, and expressions of cultural identity are often perceived as political separatism, incurring violent punishment. Minority individuals are often blatantly discriminated against in the job market.
- These issues have caused growing social unrest, not only among minorities living in autonomous regions, but among the Han majority throughout China.
Several steps should be taken to address these issues:
- China should devolve more legislative authority to autonomous regions so they have genuine self governance.
- Minority women and men should have more opportunities to serve at all levels of government.
- Central government should promote transparency and inclusion on issues concerning development of minority lands, employment, and access to health and education.
- Laws violating the right to freedom of cultural expression and religion should be repealed.
- Children from minority areas should be supported in learning their language and culture, and be able to practice their religion without fear.
- China should ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and ensure its provisions and those of other international treaties are implemented.
