Beijing’s balancing act: cracking down on Muslim minorities at home while courting the Taliban in Afghanistan
- China’s treatment of its Uygur population in Xinjiang has drawn international condemnation and propelled a rising tide of Islamophobia, particularly online
- Restrictive domestic policies towards Muslim minorities have not stopped Beijing seeking cooperation with the Taliban – is this a contradiction or realpolitik?
A competition designed to promote unity among China’s ethnic groups became embroiled in controversy in June after some participants wore traditional Islamic clothing to the event.
The headscarves of female competitors sparked online complaints about Islamic extremism and led the competition’s organisers to launch an investigation.
It also prompted Xi Wuyi, a Marxist scholar at the state-backed Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and an outspoken critic of Islam’s growing influence in China, to question whether “creating a competition that advocates diversity [was] good for nurturing a shared belief about Chinese identity”.
Xi’s question reflects Beijing’s shift in policy towards its 22 million Muslims, who make up about 1.6 per cent of the population. Where Beijing once allowed diversity within a common Chinese identity, it has recently promoted greater uniformity.
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Why Afghanistan matters to China as US withdraws from war-torn country
However, China has also sought common ground with the Taliban, the Islamist militant group restored to power in Afghanistan last month. This diplomatic effort to protect Chinese interests in Central Asia, which has been a source of domestic criticism and confusion, ultimately underlines Beijing’s strategic thinking and political pragmatism.