Reversing Strategy in China

When Islamists attacked the Twin Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, China reacted with lightening speed in denying Arab Muslims the right to travel to and within the Peoples Republic. Hotel records were instantly checked, and folks of that “Arab persuasion” felt the unwelcome mat pushed under their doors. That China has a significant Muslim population, particularly in the Western provinces that borders nations with large Islamic populations, has also troubled China in the second half of the 20^th Century, when religion was at odds with a strict godless Maoist form of communism.

And we all know about the ethnic tensions within southwestern Xinjiang province where, in 2009, rioting Muslim Uighers (wee-grrs) – ostensibly enraged over discrimination – were slapped down hard by local forces, resulting in 197 deaths and many incarcerations. This minority maintains their language and customs and refuses to abide by the single time zone (based on Beijing time) that is required across the land. This antagonism over Uighers is nothing new in Chinese history: “Several laws enforcing racial segregation of foreigners from Chinese were passed by the Han chinese during the Tang dynasty. In 779 the Tang dynasty issued an edict which forced Uighurs in the capital to wear their ethnic dress, stopped them from marrying Chinese females, and banned them from pretending to be Chinese.” Wikipedia.

China seemed to be squarely in the anti-Muslim group of nations. Then, I suspect, Chinese leaders began to notice that much of the oil-rich world was in Islamic lands, and their land grab for farming resources in Africa came head-to-head with the fact that about half of Africa is Muslim. As long-term oil leases were made by the Chinese, the visible change in policy drifted into place. Uighers were simply recast as one small ethnic minority not reflective of the rest of China’s ethnic Muslims.

Today, China is busy repairing its image with the Islamic world, spreading donations and aid to once-unthinkable countries. “China is ramping up its investments in--and friendliness with--the Muslim world, and a $4.5 million investment in development projects in Jordan, announced over the weekend, is the latest addition to that effort… [The last week of December] also marks 20 years of diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, where a Chinese delegation is present to commemorate, and earlier this month China announced $200 million in unconditional aid to Pakistan. Then last week China issued the China-Africa white paper, which reinforced an impression the world is increasingly getting--that China is very much interested in Africa's natural assets. And as Africa is almost 50% Muslim, it certainly works in China's favor to buff relations with the Muslim world.” FastCompany.com, December 27^th.

For policy-makers in the West, who are often caught in the balance between Israeli and local Arab interests, China’s clear shift towards Muslim lands is a complex and troublesome change. With Islam growing fast, particularly in Africa, China appears to be cementing its ties in a manner that might conflict with American wants and stated needs. With vastly greater foreign currency reserves and a zero deficit, China is in a much better position to allocate aid among other nations than are we. And giving to the impoverished Islamic nations is viewed as a powerfully positive act of charity even among those Islamic countries that are blessed with massive oil reserves.

I’m Peter Dekom, and we are watching American foreign policy-makers increasingly looking over their shoulders… at China.