Beijing Review – August 01, 2019

14 BEIJING REVIEW AUGUST 1, 2019 http://www.bjreview.com

those in Xinjiang, are economically inter-

dependent and embrace one another’s

culture. They are a unified whole that is

impossible to separate. They are members

of the Chinese nation. The ethnic groups in

Xinjiang have guarded against foreign ag-

gression, opposed separatist activities, and

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paper said.

It stressed that the Uygur ethnic group

was formed through a long process of

migration and integration. The Uygurs are

not the descendants of the Turks. Some

Pan-Turkism advocates with ulterior mo-

tives have described all people speaking

languages in the Turkic language family as

Turks, confusing a language family with an

ethnic group, the white paper said. The key

to the prosperity and development of eth-

nic cultures in Xinjiang is having a stronger

sense of identity with the Chinese culture,

according to the white paper.

Throughout history, whenever the

Central Government exercised effective

governance over Xinjiang and society

of the region was stable, exchanges and

communication between ethnic cultures

in Xinjiang and the culture of the Central

Plains ran smoothly, and the economy and

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To prosper and develop, Xinjiang’s eth-

nic cultures must keep pace with the times,

be open and inclusive, engage in exchange

and integration with other ethnic cultures

in China and in mutual learning with other

ethnic cultures throughout the world, and

play their role in fostering a shared spiritual

home for all China’s ethnic groups, the

white paper said.

Multiple religions

Xinjiang now has multiple religions, in-

cluding Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and

Christianity. Its history shows that multiple

religions have long coexisted there, with

one or two predominant. The region’s

religious structure is characterized by

blending and coexistence.

China upholds separation of religion

from the government. No religious organi-

zation is allowed to interfere in political and

government affairs. Freedom of religious

belief is fully respected and protected as

stipulated in the Chinese Constitution.

Citizens’ freedom to believe in, or not

to believe in, any religion is respected in

Xinjiang. The regional government has zero

tolerance for any action that creates dis-

putes between believers and non-believers,

between believers of different religions,

and between believers of the different

sects of a religion.

Xinjiang also upholds equality of all

religions and equality for all individuals

before the law. Believers and non-believers

enjoy equal rights and obligations, and all

law violators, whatever their social back-

ground, ethnicity, and religious belief, will

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Children take part in an extracurricular activity in Kashgar, Xinjiang,

on July 23