In July 2015, the Dalai Lama turned 80 years old.
As the spiritual leader of Tibet, he has spent most of his life advocating for Tibetan independence
and autonomy from China.
The issue of China ruling over autonomous regions is controversial.
Many wonder whether they should belong to China at all.
So, what are China’s autonomous regions, and are they really all that autonomous?
Well, the autonomous regions were mostly established during the mid 20th century, as China would
capture nearby territory, populated by an ethnic minority.
Others are former provinces delegated to threatened ethnic groups.
While Han Chinese make up most of China’s population, there are 55 officially recognized
ethnic groups in the country.
Autonomous regions are meant to provide a few of these marginalized groups with self-appointed
local governments.
The most well known autonomous region is Tibet.
Since China’s communist army annexed the Tibetan region and established an autonomous
zone in 1965, many have protested China’s encroachment.
Tibetans believe themselves to be culturally distinct from the Chinese, and harbor resentment
from China’s Cultural Revolution, which saw the destruction of many Tibetan monasteries.
Amnesty International and the UN have accused the Chinese government of human rights violations
against Tibetans and protesters, including wrongful imprisonment, torture and even executions.
While Tibetan separatists get the most attention, the most violent and radical separatist movement
is in the far-western autonomous region of Xinjiang.
The local Muslim Uyghur population sees Chinese control as an illegal occupation of their
long held territory.
In addition, the Chinese have implemented restrictions on Islamic practices and put
tight controls on religious schools.
Unlike the peaceful Tibetans, Uyghur separatists have resorted to terrorist violence in order
to liberate the region.
In 2014, the Uyghurs were held responsible for a deadly train station attack which killed
29 civilians.
But not every autonomous region is marred by this kind of tension.
Ningxia (NING-SHAW), in central China, is home to most of the nation’s non-violent
Muslim population, known as the Hui (WHOAY) people.
Inner Mongolia, in the north, is home to China’s Mongol population.
It also hosts most of the country’s coal industry, which makes up a quarter of the
world’s total coal reserves.
Guangxi (GWANG-SHI), on the southern coast, is a peaceful and prosperous agricultural
hub.
While the Chinese government claims to offer more rights for ethnic minorities in these
regions, they are “autonomous” in name only.
Chinese culture still dominates, and top level political leaders are still usually of Han
Chinese descent.
Beyond segregating minorities, there is little difference between an “autonomous region”
and a normal Chinese province.
Tensions among ethnic groups are a pretty big issue in China.
So is income inequality and corruption, which is evident if you look at their HUGE number
of billionaires.
To find out more about China’s BURGEONING billionaire class, check out our video.
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