25
April 2017
Past Event
Chinese Repression and Uyghur Militancy at Eurasia's Crossroads

Chinese Repression and Uyghur Militancy at Eurasia's Crossroads

Past Event
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters
April 25, 2017
Ethnic Uyghur women protest towards Chinese riot police in Urumqi in China's far west Xinjiang province on July 7, 2009. (PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images)
Caption
Ethnic Uyghur women protest towards Chinese riot police in Urumqi in China's far west Xinjiang province on July 7, 2009. (PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images)
25
April 2017
Past Event

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

Speakers:
Yang Jianli

President, Initiatives for China

Kilic Kanat

Assistant Professor, Penn State University, Erie

Sean Roberts

Associate Professor, George Washington University

Eric Brown

Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

With the launch of the PRC’s Silk Road Belt initiative, the region known to Chinese as Xinjiang and to Uyghurs as East Turkestan appears set to reprise its historic role as the strategic crossroads of Eurasia. In Xinjiang, indigenous Muslim Uyghurs have long suffered under harsh rule, and the region has been plagued by communal violence between Uyghurs and Han Chinese who have migrated there in large numbers. Since 9/11, the PRC has dramatically ramped-up its security presence on the pretext of combatting terrorism. Some Uyghurs have joined Islamist terrorist groups, including in Syria, and some attacks on Chinese civilians have occurred, although information about these attacks has been suppressed by the PRC. Meanwhile, Chinese oppression of Uyghurs, their culture, and their Islamic faith has intensified.

What does the PRC’s deepening involvement in Xinjiang portend for civilian security--Uyghur and Chinese--and human rights? Will economic development of the region improve the situation, as Beijing claims, or will it be a cover for more state oppression? Can the U.S. cooperate with the PRC on counter-terrorism, and where should Xinjiang and the Uyghur plight fit on Washington’s diplomatic agenda with Beijing?

On April 25, Yang Jianli, president of Initiatives for China, Kilic Kanat, a professor at Pennsylvania State University at Erie, and Sean Roberts, a professor at George Washington University, joined Hudson Senior Fellow Eric Brown to assess the current security and human rights situation in Xinjiang and what it might mean for the Uyghurs, the Chinese and the PRC, and the New Silk Road.

Related Events
07
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Designating the Polisario Front: A Conversation with Rep. Joe Wilson
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Congressman Joe Wilson
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) speaks during a news conference hosted by members of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus at the Capitol on February 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
07
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Designating the Polisario Front: A Conversation with Rep. Joe Wilson

Michael Doran, director of Hudson’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, will host Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) for a discussion on the strategic benefits of designating the Polisario Front as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO).

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) speaks during a news conference hosted by members of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus at the Capitol on February 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Michael Doran
Congressman Joe Wilson
09
July 2025
Virtual Event | Invite Only
Israel’s Economic Resilience after October 7: Navigating War and Strategic Pressures
Featured Speakers:
Noach Hacker
Michael Doran
Getty Images
09
July 2025
Virtual Event | Invite Only
Israel’s Economic Resilience after October 7: Navigating War and Strategic Pressures

Noach Hacker, Israel’s minister of economic affairs, will join Hudson’s Michael Doran for a discussion on how Israel has fortified its economic foundations for moments of extreme crisis. 

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Noach Hacker
Michael Doran
11
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Han Kuang Exercise and the Taiwanese Military’s Road to Readiness
Featured Speakers:
RADM Mark Montgomery
Brent Sadler
Bryan Clark
Moderator:
Riley Walters
Getty Images
11
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Han Kuang Exercise and the Taiwanese Military’s Road to Readiness

Hudson’s Riley Walters will discuss what to look for during these exercises and what more Taiwan can do to strengthen its defense posture with a panel of military experts.

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
RADM Mark Montgomery
Brent Sadler
Bryan Clark
Moderator:
Riley Walters
17
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Politics, Loyalty, and Survival: A Conversation with Salena Zito
Featured Speakers:
Salena Zito
Paul Sracic
Getty Images
17
July 2025
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Politics, Loyalty, and Survival: A Conversation with Salena Zito

Journalist and author Salena Zito will join Hudson's Paul Sracic to discuss her new book Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland, releasing July 8. 

Getty Images
Featured Speakers:
Salena Zito
Paul Sracic