Abstract
For many decades, Xinjiang, an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, has been a focal point of ethnic tensions. Currently, the main tensions revolve around the Uighur plurality and the people's deep-seated frustration with Chinese authorities; the region has witnessed several waves of protest. Through strict control of the regional political system and a massive influx of Han Chinese settlers, the communist regime has managed to fully integrate this strategic region into China. Uighurs view the influx of Han Chinese as a potential threat; they believe they are being slowly edged out both economically and politically.They believe they are being denied the rights to worship and travel, and also resent what they perceive as cultural imperialism being advocated by Beijing. But on the other hand, the second community, the Han, is dissatisfied by government policies which they believe favor the Uighurs. The issue also raises the issue of the ownership of the Xinjiang region: Uighurs believe their ancestors were indigenous to the area, whereas the Chinese government considers Xinjiang a part of China right from the days of the Han Dynasty. Today, however, the Han community represents 41% of the inhabitants in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, it is important to recall that they represented only 5% in the 40s. The Chinese government has implemented several industrial and agricultural programs in order to establish Han families in Xinjiang .
