Amarjargal Mandakh

China 4 th largest country Most populous 1,349,585,838 Borders 14 countries Communist state 91.5% Han Chinese

Ethnic Minorities 8.5% of China 111,966, ethnic groups The largest are Zhuang, Manchu, Uighur, Mongol, and Tibetan Han Chinese outnumber every ethnic groups in the provinces expect for Tibet and Xinjiang

2011 Inner Mongolia Unrest Ethnic discord between Han Chinese and Mongols. Protests in cities of Inner Mongolia Mongols argue that the constant migration of Han Chinese are diluting their language, culture, and livelihood. And they complain that traditional Mongol grazing lands have been ruined by mining and desertification. The government deployed riot police and blocked access to the Internet.

Tibet Many riots and protests in response to the dominance of the Chinese in Tibet Tibetans are still fighting for independence today China occupied Tibet since 1951 People argue that it has been brutally occupied Tibetans argue that their culture, freedom of expression, and worship have been suppressed

Xinjiang/ East Turkestan Decades long ethnic tensions between the Muslim Uighur majority and the Han Chinese minority. Most Uighurs want more autonomy while others want independence from China. Discriminated for their religion. Uighur children can’t go to mosques. Taxis are fined for having a passenger with a hijab. Government workers can’t have beards. high unemployment for the Uighur

Importance of the regions Minority ethnic group territory is 60% of China Inner Mongolia is China’s top producer of coal Tibet has an abundance of fresh water Xinjiang is also rich in natural resources China needs those resources for the growing population

Criticism of China “China's policies toward ethnic minorities aim at assimilating them, while facilitating the exploitation of the natural resources found on their territories, these policies are accompanied by systematic political and cultural suppression, economic marginalization and institutionalized discrimination" argues Nicholas Bequelin, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

What should China do?