Ethnic conflict in China: Characteristics, causes, and countermeasures

Ethnic problems are widespread in contemporary world affairs and China is n o exception. China's primary ethnic conflicts have always taken place in th e peripheral provinces, where ethnic minorities are concentrated, and occur between Han Chinese and minority nationalities. These conflicts are rooted in a wide range of factors: domestic, regional, and international. Domesti c factors include historical hatreds, Han chauvinism, the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP's) destruction of minority areas, the authoritarian political system, economic reforms, and misguided minority policies. Generally, Chin ese governmental countermeasures to ethnic conflicts are a combination of p olitical repression and economic development For the CCP, a successful inde pendence movement in one place raises the threat of independence movements elsewhere. thus, the wisest choice for China's central government is to mai ntain stability by adopting less provocative ethnic minority policies and t hereby avoiding the demonstration effect in China's minority regions.