Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

China is in Iraq, very interesting

Old policies have not yet changed. Turkey's territorial integrity remains important. That's why there is no open contact with the PKK. In other words, there is no direct financial or military support given to the PKK by China.

However, China also has its concerns over Turkey's interest in the separatist Uygur movement.

China says “If you touch the Uygurs, I'll touch the PKK.”

However it is the United States which harbors a Uighur Government-in-Exile in Washington. This is considered an attack on the very sovereignty of China.
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Thus the United States through harboring the Uighurs and promoting dissent inside of China is ‘touching the Uighurs’.

Who is China touching in Iraq in retaliation for the United States meddling with the Uighurs? We now have another suspect in Iraq.

-Am

China's Kurdish policy is changing
Tuesday, February 28, 2006


We are so involved with our own problems that we have failed to realize the fact that many countries have begun to change their stance towards northern Iraqi Kurdistan. What interested me the most was China’s attitude. Just look at how much they've changed.

Mehmet Ali Birand

China's stance of opposing separatism in all its forms has not changed for many years.

The reason is quite simple. They are afraid of the same thing happening to them.

They lost Taiwan in one way or another. According to the Chinese, foreign forces ensured Taiwan would become independent, and this is an incident that should never be forgotten. They are also bothered by separatist forces in Tibet and in China's Mongolian province.

When looked from this perspective, China's Kurdish policy becomes easier to understand.

When one takes a look at official statements, books and documents coming out of China, one gets the impression that they feel some sympathy for the Kurdish plight. The Kurds' failure to establish their own country despite decades of struggle and victimization by the region's heavyweights is seen as a “tragedy” by the Chinese.

However, the Chinese have never gone beyond that point. For example, despite the opportunities to do so in the 1980s and 1990s, they never provided financial assistance to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The PKK and the Barzani-Talabani movements in northern Iraq were never given official support even though they were secretly supported by the Chinese secret service.

Their reasoning was always the same: “The territorial integrity of Turkey and Iraq should not be threatened.”

However, the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the consequent developments have begun to change the Chinese perspective towards Iraq's Kurds.



But the policy is changing slowly:

The Chinese policy to distance itself from separatist Kurdish movements slowly began to change with the invasion of Iraq, especially the autonomy the Iraqi Kurds received, which was broadened to be just a step behind full independence and was enough to make China take notice.

The most obvious signs of the change in the state of affairs were Jalal Talabani's visit to China in August 2003 and the visit by a delegation from the Chinese Communist Party to northern Iraq, followed by Barzani's first meeting with the Chinese ambassador to Baghdad and the ambassador inviting him back to China.

China was extra careful in its meetings. They never pushed the interaction beyond the limits of “inter-party meetings” or “developing trade relations.”

However, the signal is clean. China is very interested in northern Iraq.

We can summarize the reasons behind this interest as follows: Even if Iraq doesn't break up entirely, it will most probably consist of three autonomous regions. Kurds are capable of altering the balances both in the wider region and within Iraq. China is taking a stance in order not to lose out to Russia and the United States in the future.

The oil reserves in northern Iraq are calculated at 130 billion barrels. This is the main reason behind the Chinese interest in Kurds. Iraq's new constitution leaves the matter of exploiting the oil wealth around Kirkuk confused. A possible future Sunni-Shiite clash or an Arab uprising against Kurds could result in northern Iraq declaring its independence. China is just taking certain precautions against such an eventuality.

Another reason China has changed its policy towards Kurds is due to the developments in Turkey.



If you touch the Uygurs, I'll touch the PKK:

Another reason why China is more interested in the Kurds of northern Iraq is for the purpose of sending certain messages to Turkey, if not to apply pressure.

Old policies have not yet changed. Turkey's territorial integrity remains important. That's why there is no open contact with the PKK. In other words, there is no direct financial or military support given to the PKK by China.

However, China also has its concerns over Turkey's interest in the separatist Uygur movement.

Ankara denies any involvement but China doesn't believe it. There are some who believe certain separatist Uygur groups are receiving secret support from Turkey. That's why any closeness with the Kurdish parties in northern Iraq is also an indirect message sent to Turkey. We are being told that China is fine-tuning its policy towards the Kurds and could behave differently in the future.

Some of the reasons behind the increased Chinese sensitivity towards separatism are due to the growing influence of Chechen groups, increased contacts with foreigners, the impediments to the repeat of past repressive measures, the new state of affairs spurred by economic development and the broadening of interest in human rights in the global arena.

Ankara will need to pay more attention to China before pursuing its policies towards the Kurdish administration formed in the region.


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