CHINA`S XINJIANG PROBLEM– THE EVOLUTION OF COUNTER INSURGENCY STRATEGY

Abstract

This paper case studies the Chinese counterinsurgency (COIN) operations in Xinjiang and the dynamics behind the Uighur protests in an effort to evaluate the future path of the region and determine the fundamental principles of the Chinese COIN strategy. In Xinjiang, the situation has been somewhat in the shadow of the world, both because of the global emphasis on the situation in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Afghanistan, South Asia, and the Far East, and partly due to the lack of official information and the inability of the Chinese military and government to publicly actively frame the issue. It is against this background that the study will attempt to answer some of the main questions: how the Xinjiang conflict actually came into being; the initiatives that were taken by the Chinese government to deal with the instability; whether a clear and distinct Chinese COIN doctrine exists; and what the underlying principles of its application.