Ian Buruma is a powerful storyteller and much of his story about Chinese rebels is very sad. This sadness persists throughout his long journey, starting in the United States, where he met most of the well-known dissident Chinese exiles, and ending in Lhasa, and he stopped frequently to meet more of them in Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and finally China itself. Just over the border from Hong Kong, in Longgang, near Shenzhen, Mr. Buruma found Zhou Litai.
Over a number of years, the United States has been actively engaged in efforts to improve human rights conditions in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). However, some analysts suggest that the events of September 11, 2001, may make it more difficult to pressure the Chinese government on human rights and religious freedom violations particularly as they relate to the plight of Uighur Muslims in northwestern Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). They point out that China may be seeking concessions from the U.S. regarding Xinjiang in exchange for China’s cooperation in the global campaign against terrorism. However, human rights groups complain that the PRC is using the international campaign against terrorism as a pretext to intensify its crackdowns on Uighurs in the XUAR. This report explains the history and composition of the Uighur movement and policy implications for the U.S. as the war on terrorism moves forward.
