Following the violent ethnic riots between Uyghurs and Han Chinese, broken out at the beginning of July in Urumqi, capital of the autonomous region of Xinjiang, the Turkish prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, took position on the situation, making an appeal for stopping violence in the Region, that he considers the country/home of the Muslim speaking-Turkish Uyghurs. Participating at the gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Erdogan affirmed that Turkish government looks at violence with care and regret. He added: “We consider Uyghurs as a bridge for fair relations between Turkey and China”.
Uyghurs are a Turkish ethnic group living in the West-Northern part of China, and, in particular, in the autonomous region of Xinjiang, where, together with Han Chinese, they are the majority of population. And the Uyghurs, whose ancestors came from Turkey, claim the cultural and administrative self-autonomy of Xinjiang. It is very interesting that the importance of “language”, primary and fundamental component of everyone identity and for years at the centre of European debate, because considered an indispensable element for any kind of intercultural dialogue – it is for this reason that the EC has decided to establish the new figure of Commissioner for the Multilingualism – passes over European borders and spreads and rises in a country like China.
And the fact results also more interesting considering the attitude of Turkey – Turkey itself is at the centre of European debate for what concern its entering European Union, that implies, among the indispensable acquis to adhere EU, the respect of diversities and minorities (in this regard we have to remember that Turkey has not yet totally solved the issues related to Cyprus and Armenia) – towards Chinese government, its claim for the strategic role as a bridge between Europe and China and its claim for the protection of the rights of the Uyghurs, that Turkey considers “own”, due to language and culture.
Language is the main component of our diversity, is the brick of our cultural and social growth. Language is the most proper expression of everyone culture, language is what makes us human being and what gives everyone identity. Together with individual rights, opening to different cultures, tolerance and acceptance of the “other”, the respect of language diversities is a fundamental value of European Union. Obviously, multilingualism refers to both, the possibility for the person to use different languages and the co-existence of different linguistic communities in a certain geographic area.
The fact that it is Turkey – a country that has formally began negotiations to enter EU in 2005 and whose adhesion is likely to come in 2015 – to affirm and support this value, is of extreme importance: language diversity is a founding value of EU that, following the enlargement, has acquired more and more importance. Many say that it it is this diversity that makes EU a “common house” where differences are celebrated and the different languages have seen as a source of richness, representing a bridge towards a better social cohesion and a better one another comprehension. Turkey, non yet EU Member, promotes and fosters EU values and, due to its strategic geo-political position, exports those value beyond UE.
Turkey has always shown special attention to the region of Xinjian, also called “Eastern Turkestan”, since the language spoken by Uyghurs is a variation of the Ottoman language. Xinijiang means “New Frontier” or “New Domain” and Uyghurs consider it as their home and the cradle of their culture. It is just from the middle of the 20th century that Han Chinese have begun to settle down in this region. Chinese government fostered the Han Chinese immigration towards Xinjiang, pleaded the need of modernization and economic development of the region, judged a backward region. But, the introduction of elements of modernization had been placed together with a progressive erosion of Uyghur culture, through “assimilation” policy turned to weaken the use of Uyghur language and through the implementation of economic policy in favour of Han Chinese, discriminating Uyghurs.
Uyghur issue is wide and complex and although originated from ethnic and cultural matters of the population living in the region, turned into economic and social inequalities. To face the policies of “modernization”, of making cultural uniformity and of forced partition of resources, lead by Beijing government, Uyghurs reacted claiming their cultural identity and their right to benefit from the resources of the land where they live. Chinese government answered pointing out how dangerous those claims are, and connecting them with separatist and terrorism actions typical of the Islamic extremism. What happens in the reality is that some of the security measures introduced by Chinese government after the violent riots between Uyghurs and Han, like for example the closing of the mosques, could really become the cause of religion conflicts, while, still today, it is mainly an ethnic-cultural and social conflict.
The Author is Economist – Expert in International Strategy and E.U.