1995-10-01a- CIA Conference Report: THE CHALLENGE OF ETHNIC CONFLICT TO NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORDER IN THE 1990S GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 01-Oct-95

C00123268
As noted above, other groups to watch outside the advanced nationality in China); and Mongol groups.
official nationalities are particularly those so-called Domestically, it has been important for their establish-
"sub-H-an" groups that have maintained local, linguis- ing national networks, often through state institutions
tic, and ethnic ties throughout the CCP period, despite such as the Nationalities Institutes, Islamic and Bud-
lack of recognition. Especially important are those dhist Associations, and regional Nationality Commis-
with outside transnational links or large populations sions. It has also been important for the reawakening
outside the China mainland, such as the Hakka in Tai- of national consciousness, such as among the Manchu,
wan and Hong Kong; the Swatow in Hong Kong, who have established three new autonomous counties
Thailand, and Indonesia; and the Min-speaking (Hok- in the northeast during the past 10 years.
kien, Fujianese) populations in Southeast Asia and
Taiwan. Although other local level ethnic differences Population politics should be watched closely. As
are important in regional and ethnic politics through- China more severely enforces its one-child policy,
out China, it is these groups that have the economic minority recognition will become more important as a
and international clout to make a difference in the means to having more children. In the past, China has
domestic scene. This again does not suggest that any been rather reluctant to enforce restriction on minority
one of these groups alone is sufficient to destabilize a births in rural areas; minorities were "encouraged" to
region of China or.engage in strong political activism, limit births to one more child than the Han in their
Instead, I am arguing that, as Rupert noted above, area, but in general they had as many as they wanted.
when the "chips are down" these are the kinds of Now the government is attempting to enforce this pol-
groups best positioned to exploit their cultural and icy despite strong opposition. Minorities are reluctant
political resources. to adhere to increasingly applied birth planning poli-
cies. For example, the requirement to limit births to
Closer attention should be paid to debates in the Chi- three among minorities led to riots among Uighurs
nese community within and outside China regarding and Mongols in 1989 and 1990. Chinese often rede-
the construction of Chineseness, or Chinese national fine themselves as minorities. Children of mixed mar-
identity. Like Sun Yat-sen's own historic formulation, riages are almost always opting for minority identity,
the outcome of these debates may determine the direc- and minorities are increasingly preferred as potential
tion of public policy, whether it be pluralist, federalist, marriage partners. This has led to a phenomenal popu-
monoethnic, or even racist. At the same time, studies lation growth of 35 percent between 1982 and 1990
of "sub-Han" national identity and cultural difference among minorities, while the Han population only
have become popular in the mainland, with Xu grew by 10 percent. Some groups grew dramati-
Jiexun's (1985) series of publications, New Explora- cally-the Manchu grew by 114 percent, the Tujia by
tions in the Han Nationality's History and Culture, 140 percent, the Hui by 40 percent, and the Uighur by
being just the beginning of this important trend (first 40 percent. The Gelao-a Yunnan minority-grew by
begun perhaps with Fan Wenlan's 1957 collection). an incredible 714 percent. The vast majorty of these
Xu, a historian and political scientist at the Guangxi increases are due to redefining and reregistration of
Institute of Natiopalities in Nanning, has effectively people who were previously classified as Han (see
used the Han categorization as a "nationality" (minzu) Gladney 1991: 240 ff.; Banister 1987).
as a means to study cultural difference within the Han.
The administration of minority privileges should be
Study of minority nationalities in China should focus watched. Both the extent of the privileges-such as
not only on their traits, population, history, and culture tax breaks, birth planning, educational incentives, and
but, more important, also on their interconnected- economic development investment-and the effect
ness-the articulation of their identity across regional they have among the majority population should be
and national boundaries. In the international sphere, considered. In any society affirmative action programs
this has certainly been important for Tibetan; Mus-
lim-especially the Uighur, Kazakh, Tajik, and Hui;
Korean (the most educated and economically
116