INTRODUCTION
China has a land boundary of 22,117 kilometres bordering 14 neighbouring countries, with almost all of which it has territorial disputes, be it on land and/or in the ocean (Mushkat 2012). Despite this and other socio-cultural internal issues faced by China, it has been able to emerge as a strong contender in international politics, which cannot be ignored. A certain atmosphere of secrecy and complexity is created due to the Chinese language, lack of primary sources and the difficulty in knowing how the Chinese look at themselves and what are their ideas of the world. The rise of China at the global level has caused concerns in its neighbourhood and the world as well since China aims to alter the existing world order in quite a disruptive and revisionist fashion (Callahan 2008).
On the global stage though China appears as a homogeneous and strong entity, if looked closely enough the reality of these concepts becomes clearer. Under the veiled identity of being a communist state, lie many fault0-lines based on ethnic, economic, political and other factors that are detrimental to the so-called concept of “One China”, and if exploited well enough by their adversaries, can turn the global tide against the People’s Republic of China (“PRC White Paper, ‘the One China Principle and the Taiwan Issue’, 21 February 2000 – ProQuest” n.d.). One important aspect of this is the border regions of China, especially those on the western and northern frontiers.
A general understanding of all these interconnected phenomena could reveal a lot about the manner in which China functions and this would give a good analysis of how other countries can frame their policies and discussions on how to deal with China.
Adopting a multidimensional approach, this paper attempts to bring out the nuances of how gradually, Xinjiang has become a strong internally influencing factor in China’s foreign policy-making towards Central Asia. Speaking from an Indian perspective, a study of this topic is important as there’s a lot to learn from China about being consistent at the policy level in strategic decision making and pursuing a policy decision quite assertively. Also, a good understanding of Chinese fault-lines and weaknesses is essential to tackle them as a competing power in contemporary geopolitics.
The main section of the paper is divided into 3 parts:
Drivers of Chinese Foreign Policy
Significance of Xinjiang in China’s Central Asia Policy
Inter connections of policy-level decision making
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