China’s Ethnic Minority Policy: A Conversation with Dr. Aaron Glasserman
Jul 3, 2024
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Dr. Aaron Glasserman discusses China's ethnic minority policies, emphasizing CCP's efforts to assimilate minorities into Han identity. He highlights Xi Jinping's push for ethnic fusion and lack of collective organization among minority groups. China's policies have minimal impact on its international image and foreign policy.
China emphasizes assimilation and sinicization of ethnic minorities into a unified Han identity.
Ethnic diversity in China extends beyond officially recognized groups, with varying sizes and regional concentrations.
International criticism has not significantly altered China's policies towards ethnic minorities, shaped primarily by internal factors.
Deep dives
China's Diverse Ethnic Groups
China officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups, totaling about 9% of the population, with varying sizes and levels of assimilation. Some groups are concentrated in specific regions, while others are scattered across the country. Ethnic diversity extends beyond the officially recognized minority nationalities to include internal variations within the Han majority. Groups like the Hui are spread throughout China, displaying diversity in linguistic, settlement, and cross-national ties.
Largest Ethnic Groups After the Han
Following the Han majority, the Zhuang, with nearly 20 million people in southern China's Guangxi autonomous region, are the most populous minority. Other significant groups include the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, the Hui spread nationally, and the Mongols and Tibetans with around six to seven million each. Smaller groups like Kazakhs and Tatars form the tail end of the ethnic minority population scale.
Treatment of Ethnic Minorities by the CCP
China's approach to ethnic minorities is influenced by cultural distinctiveness, territorial concentration, and perceived risk of ethnic separatism. Groups like the Uyghurs and Tibetans with strong cultural identities present challenges to the CCP. Special policies, a mix of positive and negative measures, address minority needs and state control. The CCP's aim includes promoting a unified national identity while managing ethnic fusion.
Impact of CCP's Ethnic Policies on International Relations
China's treatment of ethnic minorities has garnered international concern, tarnishing its global image without significantly altering foreign policy. Despite allegations of human rights violations and genocide, China's economic clout and diplomatic ties deter substantial consequences. The international community's limited action reflects challenges in pressuring China to change its policies.
Limited Influence of International Criticism on CCP's Ethnic Policies
International scrutiny on China's treatment of minorities led to narrative changes like rebranding camps as vocational centers and promoting Xinjiang as a tourist destination. However, the impact on actual policies remains uncertain due to China's strong central control. Internal adaptation in response to external pressure or shifts may occur, but fundamentally, China's policies toward ethnic minorities are largely shaped by internal factors rather than external criticism.
In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Aaron Glasserman joins us to discuss China’s ethnic minority policies. Dr. Glasserman speaks to the makeup of China’s 55 ethnic minority populations and the evolution of China’s policies towards the groups. Dr. Glasserman discusses the idea that the CCP’s recognition and treatment of these groups is in large part an effort to reinforce its historic identity. He underscores President Xi Jinping’s efforts to prioritize the Han identity and facilitate ethnic fusion into one common entity through assimilation and sinicization of other minorities with the Han. Finally, Dr. Glasserman shares how these ethnic minority groups have not been able to organize collectively and pushback against CCP policies. He assesses that China’s policies towards its ethnic minorities have not significantly impacted China’s international image or foreign policy.
Aaron Glasserman is a current Academy Scholar at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies and a former postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University’s Paul and Martha Withes Center on Contemporary China. He earned his PhD from Columbia University in 2021, with his dissertation focusing on the history of the Hui Muslim ethnic group in China. Dr. Glasserman has written for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The China Quarterly, ChinaFile, Project Syndicate, and other publications, with areas of expertise in China’s ethnic politics and Islam in China. He is a current Wilson China Fellow at the Wilson Center.
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