Anti-Terrorism Campaign Creates Opportunity For Improved US-Chinese Relations

The US anti-terrorism campaign has provided an opening for improved US-China relations. US President George W. Bush is travelling to Shanghai to attend a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders. During the visit, Bush will meet separately with Chinese leader Jiang Zemin, whose tacit support for US bombing raids against Afghanistan has established a positive atmosphere for talks.

Topping the agenda for the meeting, the first between the US and Chinese leaders, will be the campaign against terrorism, according to James Kelly, US assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs, who was in Beijing to prepare for the Bush-Jiang meeting.

China has expressed concern about the potential growth of Islamic radicalism in its western province of Xinjiang, and has sought to accommodate US anti-terrorism objectives since the September 11 tragedy. On October 8, Jiang telephoned Bush to discuss the US response to the terrorist strikes on the United States. Despite China's longstanding opposition to armed intervention, Jiang expressed support for retaliatory raids against Afghanistan. It marked the first time since the Cold War that China had condoned US military action against another country.

China remained aloof during the 1991 Gulf War, and was harshly critical of NATO bombing in Yugoslavia in 1999, even before its own embassy in Belgrade was demolished in an accidental strike. Beijing's approach to the terror attacks on US cities has been clearly different.

According to Chinese officials, the hope in Beijing is that the emergence of a new "enemy" in the American collective conscience will help reduce anti-Chinese sentiment in Washington. Earlier in 2001, bilateral relations had reached their lowest point in decades, in large part because of an April incident involving Chinese fighter jets and a US reconnaissance plane. US arms sales to Taiwan and the Bush Administration's desire to build a national missile defense system also placed enormous strain on relations.

However, the September 11 events radically altered strategic priorities. Now, Beijing and Washington are both interested in combating Islamic radicalism. In backing the US anti-terrorism campaign, China is clearly seeking to win Western support for its continuing fight against its own Islamic insurgency in the province of Xinjiang.

Xinjiang, formerly known as East Turkestan, is home to Uighurs, a Muslim people with cultural ties to other Turkic nationalities in Central Asia, including Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Uzbeks. Chinese Communist leaders in recent decades have taken steps to solidify their grip on the region by encouraging the migration of ethnic Chinese into the province. Saying they face cultural annihilation, Uighur radicals have resorted in violence in recent years in an effort to prevent government assimilation initiatives.

China is particularly worried about the camps in northern Afghanistan, where an estimated 800 Uighur separatists from Xinjiang have reportedly received military training. In early October, China increased security measures in Xinjiang, which borders Afghanistan. Authorities reinforced military garrisons in the region and closed the border with Afghanistan. In addition, foreigners have been prohibited from visiting the region.

China has sought to portray its recent actions in Xinjiang as part of the broader anti-terrorism campaign. Yet it remains unclear how US-Chinese cooperation will develop. China is concerned that the United States will use the anti-terrorism campaign as a pretext to establish a strategic presence in Central Asia. Beijing also worries that the United States will retain a large amount of influence over the Afghan government that replaces the Taliban. China joined Russia on September 9 in backing the formation of a broad-based coalition government in Afghanistan.

Washington's developing military ties with Central Asian states, especially Uzbekistan, could have troubling strategic consequences for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Some analysts say the SCO -- which includes China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia and Uzbekistan – has promoted several regional diplomatic successes, including the settlement of several border disputes among member states. However, since September 11, the SCO has kept quiet, missing a key opportunity to prove itself on the world diplomatic scene. Indeed, the crisis has underscored its members' strategic differences. China has had the most moderate outlook on Taliban rule in Afghanistan, while Uzbekistan has emerged as the most enthusiastic supporter of the United States.

As the anti-terrorism campaign continues to unfold, there are several potential trouble spots that could fuel renewed tension between Washington and Beijing. China, for instance, remains deeply troubled by the prospect of a higher US military profile in Central and Southwest Asia. The two countries could also clash again over long-standing differences. China's intelligence community is reportedly angry about over the US decision to continue operating surveillance flights near China's coast. In addition, China is reportedly intends to ask Washington to moderate its criticism of Beijing's policies Tibet and Taiwan. It remains to be seen whether the United States would acquiesce to such a request.