Influencing Governance in Xinjiang: How to Understand and Utilise Correlations between Global Discourses and post-2016 CCP Policy Changes

The post-2017 trajectory of Chinese governance in Xinjiang has been described as a
genocide or crime against humanity with increasing frequency among scholars,
investigative journalists, and human rights advocacy groups, and declared a genocide
by the United States. While this international discourse has not prompted radical
change, reactions of PRC party leaders in diplomatic arenas and PRC state media
suggest that close attention is paid to these judgements. PRC statements regarding
Xinjiang policy often cite recent judgements by other countries, in particular the United
States. The link between international criticism of Xinjiang policies and the PRC then
changing these policies has not yet been explored but has been anecdotally
recognised by Xinjiang researchers.
This study will analyse the nature of the dynamic relationship between international
pressure and changes in Xinjiang policy, from Chen Quanguo's appointment as
Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang in August 2016 onwards, through a close
analysis of documents. This includes on the one hand, documents published or signed
in diplomatic arenas by governments external to China, statements from individual
government spokespersons, and publications from human rights organisations; and,
on the other hand, documents published by or leaked from the PRC, white papers and
policy documents, state media reports on policy, and party engagement in diplomatic
arenas. On the basis of legal anthropology and document ethnography, this research
will elucidate the relationship between international discourse and Xinjiang policy
changes. This will illustrate how diplomacy and human rights advocacy may
encourage positive change for the people of Xinjiang.