Q&A: China's Uighur problem

China regards militants from its Uighur minority as a major threat to
security at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The militants are blamed for a bloody attack on a border post in
western China in the run-up to the Games. Human rights groups have
long accused China of persecuting the Uighurs.

Who are the Uighurs?

The Uighurs are Muslims based in north-western China's Xinjiang
region. Their language is related to Turkish and they regard
themselves as culturally and ethnically close to other Central Asian
nations.

Kashgar street scene
China maintains a high military presence in the Xinjiang region

The region's economy has for centuries revolved around agriculture and
trade, with towns such as Kashgar thriving as hubs along the Silk
Road.

In the early part of the 20th Century, the Uighurs briefly declared
independence. The region was brought under the complete control of
communist China in 1949.

Officially, Xinjiang is now described by China as an autonomous
region, like Tibet to its south.

What are China's concerns about the Uighurs?

Beijing says Uighur militants have been waging a violent campaign for
an independent state by plotting bombings, sabotage and civic unrest.

Since the 9/11 attacks in the US, China has increasingly portrayed its
Uighur separatists as auxiliaries of al-Qaeda.

It has accused them of receiving training and indoctrination from
Islamist militants in neighbouring Afghanistan.

However, little public evidence has been produced in support of these
claims.

More than 20 Uighurs were captured by the US military after its
invasion of Afghanistan. Though imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay for six
years, they have yet to be charged with any offence.

What complaints have been made against the Chinese in Xinjiang?

Activists say the Uighurs' religious, commercial and cultural
activities have been gradually curtailed by the Chinese state.

China is accused of intensifying its crackdown on the Uighurs after
street protests in the 1990s - and again, in the run-up to the Beijing
Olympics.

Over the past decade, many prominent Uighurs have been imprisoned or
have sought asylum abroad after being accused of terrorism.

China is said to have exaggerated the threat from Uighur separatists
in order to justify repression in the region.

Beijing has also been accused of seeking to dilute Uighur influence by
arranging the mass immigration of Han Chinese, the country's majority
ethnic group, to Xinjiang.

Han Chinese currently account for roughly 40%% of Xinjiang's
population.

What is the current situation in Xinjiang?

Over the last decade, major development projects have brought
prosperity to Xinjiang's big cities.

The activities of local and foreign journalists in the region are
closely monitored by the Chinese state and there are few independent
sources of news from the region.

China has been keen to highlight improvements made to the region's
economy while Uighurs interviewed by the press have avoided
criticizing Beijing.

However, occasional attacks on Chinese targets suggest Uighur
separatism remains a potent - and potentially violent - force.