What Is the Value of Tibet and Xinjiang to China
Strategic China Essay
What is the value of Tibet and Xinjiang to China?
By: Annette Bergmann (13236885)
Date: 20. July. 2012
What is the value of Tibet and Xinjiang to China?
This essay focuses on the two of the five autonomous regions of China; Tibet and Xinjiang. These two regions have become widely known due to their fight for national independence. These regions consist of national minorities and have had long periods of national independence before they were included in the Chinese empire during the Qing Dynasty in 1949, (Central Tibetan Administartion, 2011). China places a large emphasis on these regions and will not allow them to separate, as Tibet and Xinjiang are valuable to China due to the prevailing belief of the importance of unity, a unified China is seen as a strong China (Elmer, 2011). Furthermore, China’s history, with the century of humiliation, plays a big part in why China cannot loose Tibet and Xinjiang, as it would be seen weak. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) sees the Tibet and Xinjiang region as historically a part of China. China’s major development schemes in both of these regions cannot be lost; in addition the rich resources of Tibet and Xinjiang are crucial to China’s future. Lastly, Tibet and Xinjiang are seen geopolitically important to China.
Background of Tibet and Xinjiang
Tibet is located southwest of China and is one of the least populated but the second largest provinces by area, (as you can see in the Appendix Map 1). Tibet declared its independence in 1913, and kept their autonomy until 1951, but due to a military conflict between Tibet and China, Tibet was incorporated into the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and declared an autonomous region of the PRC in 1965. There are many tensions between China and Tibet, due to the prevailing desire of the Tibetan people for independence and the Chinese government policies that restrict the Tibetan people, (Central Tibetan Administartion, 2011). Xinjiang or
What is the value of Tibet and Xinjiang to China?
By: Annette Bergmann (13236885)
Date: 20. July. 2012
What is the value of Tibet and Xinjiang to China?
This essay focuses on the two of the five autonomous regions of China; Tibet and Xinjiang. These two regions have become widely known due to their fight for national independence. These regions consist of national minorities and have had long periods of national independence before they were included in the Chinese empire during the Qing Dynasty in 1949, (Central Tibetan Administartion, 2011). China places a large emphasis on these regions and will not allow them to separate, as Tibet and Xinjiang are valuable to China due to the prevailing belief of the importance of unity, a unified China is seen as a strong China (Elmer, 2011). Furthermore, China’s history, with the century of humiliation, plays a big part in why China cannot loose Tibet and Xinjiang, as it would be seen weak. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) sees the Tibet and Xinjiang region as historically a part of China. China’s major development schemes in both of these regions cannot be lost; in addition the rich resources of Tibet and Xinjiang are crucial to China’s future. Lastly, Tibet and Xinjiang are seen geopolitically important to China.
Background of Tibet and Xinjiang
Tibet is located southwest of China and is one of the least populated but the second largest provinces by area, (as you can see in the Appendix Map 1). Tibet declared its independence in 1913, and kept their autonomy until 1951, but due to a military conflict between Tibet and China, Tibet was incorporated into the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and declared an autonomous region of the PRC in 1965. There are many tensions between China and Tibet, due to the prevailing desire of the Tibetan people for independence and the Chinese government policies that restrict the Tibetan people, (Central Tibetan Administartion, 2011). Xinjiang or
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