1)
The tensions between ethnic Uyghurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang province stem in general from a persistent belief among many Uyghurs that their province, whose name literally means ‘New Frontier’ in Mandarin Chinese, was conquered by the Chinese government in the past century and by rights should be an independent nation-state. More specifically, it is caused by government policies that many Uyghurs consider harmful or repressive, such as banning or severely restricting observance of Muslim customs, rituals and holy days such as fasting and daily prayers. Another commonly resented issue is the Chinese government’s decades long policy of encouraging large-scale Han Chinese immigration to the region, thereby turning Uyghurs into an ethnic minority in a historically Uyghur dominated province. All of this is likely due to the Chinese government’s desire to homogenize the area to reduce potential ethnic separatism and curtail the spread of Islamic fundamentalism.
2)
I believe the issue facing China’s working population with the greatest potential to destabilize the country is same issue with the greatest potential to destabilize America: economic slowdown and malaise. The Chinese economy has been booming for nigh on thirty years. Growth does not last forever and will inevitably slow down at some point. Wealth inequality will become a much more serious issue when there stops being as much new wealth to go around. Similarly, China’s constant rapid development has lifted millions of Chinese people out of poverty. For years the assumption has been that this development would continue and thereby encouraged those who are still poor to keep working in hopes of being the next to break out of poverty. Less development means less chance of that happening barring a major systematic shift in the form of increased welfare and wealth redistribution. Take away hope of things getting better and more people will stop channeling their efforts into improving their lot by hard work in favor of warm, snuggly hatred for the people deemed responsible for the situation.
3)
Despite all the people who talk about the rise of China as some sort of validation of the capitalist system the one longstanding governmental policy that has done the most for China’s economic development is the predominance of State-Owned Enterprises. SOEs allow the government to exert enough direct control over critical industries to moderate otherwise destructive or out of control tendencies on the part of corporations and the super rich. A large part of the reason why the Chinese economic stimulus was so much more effective than the American stimulus package put together in response to the Great Recession of 2008 is because of the Chinese government’s greater ability to direct corporate policy and the use of stimulus funds. By contrast, the hukou system harmfully restricts the movement of labor and people to industrial areas in need of unskilled and semi-skilled workers. This has the additional effect of promoting illegal and under the table hiring and labor practices, which retards the growth of labor rights and other protections necessary for a functioning modern economy.
Exercise:
The three potential domestic instability issues in China are wealth inequality, corruption and environmental pollution. These issues are linked and feed off of one another, as wealth inequality is both a cause and enabler of corruption, and corruption makes it possible for corporations to ignore environmental laws and regulations when they threaten the company’s profits. As a major multi-national corporation with considerable manufacturing and industrial operations in China we can benefit from significant popular good will by scrupulously and visibly pursuing environmentally friendly policies and providing working class Chinese nationals with above average wages and workplace safety. This in turn will reduce our need to offer kickbacks and take part in other forms of corruption by leading to local populations supporting us over corrupt local politicians and competitors, which has historically led to the central government stepping in and fixing the issue so that they can benefit from the good will that comes from looking like the good guys. As the old Russian proverb goes, “If only Stalin knew!”
