Until now, it has been Beijing that talked up the threat of ethnic separatism in its far north-west region of Xinjiang, while the attitude of most of the Muslim Uighur population has been one of quiet – though unhappy – acceptance of Chinese rule. But the latest outbreak of violence in the regional capital of Urumqi is unprecedented and suggests that Uighur resentment at heavy-handed Chinese policies has begun to boil over. For Uighurs to challenge the authorities in what has become a largely Chinese city is even more remarkable.
Xinjiang shares with Tibet a history of only intermittent control from Beijing and the misfortune of being seen by the Chinese as a strategic buffer region against its neighbours. There were two short-lived independent "East Turkestan" republics in the 1930s and 1940s – the second under strong Soviet influence. After the 1949 Chinese communist victory, Beijing quickly moved thousands of soldiers to set up paramilitary state farms: Xinjiang became a favoured location for penal centres, and later on for Red Guards who were "sent down to the countryside". After subsequent waves of migration, Han Chinese now make up 40% of the population, not much less than the 47% of Uighurs.
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