Xinjiang and Chinese Rise in Central Asia—A History by Michael E. Clarke

The ethnic unrest in Xinjiang has been in the news for several years now. In 2009, nearly 200 people were killed in Han–Uighur ethnic clashes. Since then Uighur unrest has drawn international attention. The Chinese authorities have handled the Uighur unrest with an iron fist. The local media is suppressed, outsiders do not have free access and the security forces have free rein. The local communist party chief is the de facto ruler.

Over the years, there has been large-scale migration of Han Chinese to Xinjiang, upsetting the ethnic balance in the province. According to the 2000 official census, Han ethnic Chinese constituted about 40 per cent of the province’s population.