I’d suggest listening to either Silk and Steel, or the Radio War Nerd épisodes with Carl Zha. Those have been fairly well balanced, while also being informative.
If you just want the TL;DR for each, however:
Tibet: feudal society that was reincorporated into China in 1950s by consensus. America started dropping guérillas in to try to restore/maintain the aristocracy. Rebellion put down with PLA. Social order maintained since.
Xinjiang: sparse, western region that was reincorporated into China, again by consensus, in 1950s. Significant Muslim population. When China was helping America and Pakistan ship militant islamists to soviet Afghanistan, some of that travelled back to Xinjiang too. Add in how Han benefitted more from Reform and Opening Up due to connections to the core of China, and you end up with a radicalising, disconnected society on the fringe, with America keen to take advantage. Also, it’s on the path of the Belt and Road Initiative. Various terrorist attacks. Chinese approach has been mass re-education and employment programmes, to break Islamism and incorporate people into the economy.
Hong Kong: taken by British in 1841, and used as a colony and bulkhead for forcible opening of Chinese markets to British opium. Taken back, by consensus, in 1997. Agreement was to remain capitalist until 2047. Used as a means of getting capital injection from the outside world during Reform and Opening Up. Became a hypercapitalist hellscape with real estate prices through the roof. Even more blatant electoral capture by bourgeois interests than America. Local bourgeoisie form the power base of CPC, as CPC otherwise doesn’t really operate in HK. Education system still fairly British and anti-China. American NGOs allowed to operate freely up until very recently. Chinese approach has been to pass a security law (that HK was supposed to pass itself decades ago) to prevent American influence and separatism. Hypercapitalist material conditions likely to remain until the HK bourgeoisie’s hold is broken.
I can do more detail for each if you like, but that’s the rough gist.
I’d suggest listening to either Silk and Steel, or the Radio War Nerd épisodes with Carl Zha. Those have been fairly well balanced, while also being informative.
If you just want the TL;DR for each, however:
Tibet: feudal society that was reincorporated into China in 1950s by consensus. America started dropping guérillas in to try to restore/maintain the aristocracy. Rebellion put down with PLA. Social order maintained since.
Xinjiang: sparse, western region that was reincorporated into China, again by consensus, in 1950s. Significant Muslim population. When China was helping America and Pakistan ship militant islamists to soviet Afghanistan, some of that travelled back to Xinjiang too. Add in how Han benefitted more from Reform and Opening Up due to connections to the core of China, and you end up with a radicalising, disconnected society on the fringe, with America keen to take advantage. Also, it’s on the path of the Belt and Road Initiative. Various terrorist attacks. Chinese approach has been mass re-education and employment programmes, to break Islamism and incorporate people into the economy.
Hong Kong: taken by British in 1841, and used as a colony and bulkhead for forcible opening of Chinese markets to British opium. Taken back, by consensus, in 1997. Agreement was to remain capitalist until 2047. Used as a means of getting capital injection from the outside world during Reform and Opening Up. Became a hypercapitalist hellscape with real estate prices through the roof. Even more blatant electoral capture by bourgeois interests than America. Local bourgeoisie form the power base of CPC, as CPC otherwise doesn’t really operate in HK. Education system still fairly British and anti-China. American NGOs allowed to operate freely up until very recently. Chinese approach has been to pass a security law (that HK was supposed to pass itself decades ago) to prevent American influence and separatism. Hypercapitalist material conditions likely to remain until the HK bourgeoisie’s hold is broken.
I can do more detail for each if you like, but that’s the rough gist.