Self Determination And Minority Rights In China

In this book Linzhu Wang offers an insightful analysis of the rights of China’s minorities from the perspective of self-determination.

On the global stage, China is often seen to be a homogenous nation when, in fact, it is a diverse multi-ethnic society, with 55 minority nationality groups recognized by the government. Scattered across the vast landmass, ethnic minorities in China occupy a precarious place in the state, where the Confucian concept of cultural community plays down ethnicity and encourages integration of minority nationalities into the majority Han-Chinese society. This insightful book reveals the ethnic diversity underlying the People’s Republic of China and examines how ethnicity intersects with social and political issues through key themes such as ethnic inequality, the preservation and contribution of the rich traditions and customs of minority cultures, and the autonomy of regions such as Tibet and Xinjiang. The author investigates the important role of the state and Beijing’s assimilation stance to show how its nationality policy, driven by Confucian assimilation ideology, has dictated China’s own minority rights regime and influenced its foreign policy towards international minority rights. This book by a distinguished scholar of ethnicity in China will be essential reading for students and scholars of race and ethnic relations, nationalism and Chinese culture and society.

The scope of arrangements which provide for some degree of "autonomy" is almost unlimited, as are the norms and means which have been adopted to protect minority rights. Documents on Autonomy and Minority Rights offer examples of some of the unique structures which have been developed to respond to geographic, political, ethnic, linguistic, and other differences under a single sovereignty. They present a broad spectrum of domestic constitutional provisions, statutes, and political agreements, as well as a comprehensive collection of relevant international instruments. The first section includes documents adopted on a global or regional basis to set standards for the protection of minority rights and the rights of indigenous peoples. The second section includes a wide range of national documents related to minority rights and/or autonomy. The last section contains historical documents. The author has written a brief introduction to each document to give the reader unfamiliar with the situation to which a document pertains enough information to consider its context. No single text can be used as a model of autonomy, for every situation is unique. At the same time, however, greater knowledge of a broad range of successful and unsuccessful arrangements may inspire new ideas with which to address conflicts which have claimed tens of thousands of lives in recent years. At the very least, the ingenuity evidenced in some of the documents should encourage experimentation and underscore the need of going beyond the mere recitation of definitions of federalism, consociation, devolution, or other constitutional models. The great variety of institutional arrangements, the detailed provisions developed to resolve particularly difficult local problems, and the flexibility in addressing issues such as revenue-sharing or participation in international organizations, demonstrate that neither "sovereignty" nor "self-determination" need stand in the way of innovative solutions.

Following significant interethnic violence beginning in 2008, Chinese intellectuals and policymakers are now engaged in unprecedented debate over the future direction of their country's ethnic policies. This study attempts to gauge current Chinese opinion on this once-secretive and still highly sensitive area of national policy. Domestic Chinese opinion on ethnic policies over the last five years is reviewed and implications for future policies under the new leadership of CPC Secretary General Xi Jinping are explored. Careful review of a wide spectrum of contemporary Chinese commentary identifies an emerging consensus for ethnic-policy reform. Leading public intellectuals, as well as some party officials, now openly call for new measures strengthening national integration at the expense of minority rights and autonomy. These reformers argue that divisive ethnic policies adopted from the former USSR must be replaced by those supporting an ethnic "melting pot" concept. Despite this important shift in opinion, such radical policy changes as ending regional ethnic autonomy or minority preferences are unlikely over the short-to-medium term. Small-yet-significant adjustments in rhetoric and policy emphasis are, however, expected as the party-state attempts to strengthen interethnic cohesiveness as a part of its larger agenda of stability maintenance. About the author James Leibold is a senior lecturer in Politics and Asian Studies at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of Reconfiguring Chinese Nationalism (2007) and co-editor of Critical Han Studies (2012) and Minority Education in China (forthcoming). His research on ethnicity, nationalism, and race in modern China has appeared in The China Journal, The China Quarterly, The Journal of Asian Studies, Modern China, and other publications.

China's vast population contains a large number of disadvantaged or minority groups. Published in association with Social Science Academic Press (China), this unique book outlines what legal protection each minority group receives under Chinese law, together with a helpful comparative study on Chinese national and regional laws. Ground-breaking and detailed, it offers a comprehensive analysis of the various disparate aspects of minority rights protection in China, such as current anti-discrimination policy, the implementation of international standards for minority protection, and domestic legal protection for non-Chinese and ethnic minority groups. Written by leading Chinese scholars Li Lin and Li Xixia from The Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), & Lidija R. Basta Fleiner from The Institute of Federalism of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

The definitive study of the doctrine of self-determination of peoples.

The human rights records of more than ninety countries and territories are put into perspective in Human Rights Watch's signature yearly report. Reflecting extensive investigative work undertaken in 2016 by Human Rights Watch staff, in close partnership with domestic human rights activists, the annual World Report is an invaluable resource for journalists, diplomats, and citizens, and is a must-read for anyone interested in the fight to protect human rights in every corner of the globe.

Internal self-determination is an under-explored topic in international law. It is popularly understood to be a principle of relatively recent origin, promoting democratic freedoms to populations and autonomy for minority groups within states. It has also been viewed as a principle receiving the support of Western states, in particular. In this first book-length critical study of the topic, the reader is invited to rethink the history, theory and practice of internal self-determination in a complex world. Kalana Senaratne shows that it is a principle of great, but varied, potential. Internal self-determination promises democratic freedoms and autonomy to peoples; but it also represents an idea which is not historically new, and is ultimately a principle which can be promoted for different and conflicting purposes. Written in a clear and accessible style, this book will be of interest to international lawyers, state-officials, minority groups, and students of law and politics.