International Communication &Cultural Policy Final Project - Policy Documents Analysis & Policy Recommendations for Ethnic Minority Management Organization ---Qiyong Zhang

Introduction I. China’s minority group background Introduction II. Case Study: Tibet Conflict III. Document Analysis IV. Policy Reform Recommendation & Implication

I. China’s Ethnic Minority Background 114 million ethnic minority populations Officially recognized 56 ethnic groups Dominant ethnic group: Han Han takes up more than 90% of the population 6 autonomous regions in Guangxin, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Tibet and Xinjiang (Uyghur.)

II. Case Study: Tibet Conflict In March 2008, a series of protests, riots and conflicts happened in Lhasa, the regional capital of Tibet

Dissatisfaction of current Regional Autonomous Policies The Dharamsala-based Government-in-Exile, has been looking for a renewed agreement about Tibet autonomous region, and the Tibet formally submitted the 2008 Tibetan Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for Tibetans, regarding their concerns and needs of renewing the agreement.

Scholar Davis points out that “China’s designation of fifty-five national minorities may aim at watering down the distinctive status and consequent obligations to the Tibetan people.” Scholar Zhu & Blachford believe that China often treats ethnic minority issue “exclusively as a sovereignty matter and refutes outside criticism…”

III. Government Documents Analysis Document I: Law of the People’s Republic of China on Regional National Autonomy “promote local socialist construction in the sprit of self-reliance and hard work and contribute to the nations construction as a whole…” Article 5 “The organs of self-government of national autonomous areas must uphold the unity of the country and guarantee that the Constitution and other laws are observed and implemented in these areas.”

Weakness: -Regional autonomous is based on the central government, -It has to meet with the goals/willing of the Communist Party. -The regional autonomous is not the real “autonomous.” -The policy does not protect the cultural freedom of expression right

Document II: Development and Progress of Tibet, “Cultural preservation and Freedom of Religious Belief.” “Preserving and development the spoken and written Tibetan language, Bilingual education, with Tibetan as the principal language, is widespread in Tibet. At present, primary schools in all farming and pastoral areas and some urban areas use both Tibetan and Chinese in teaching, but mostly Tibetan for the major courses.”

Strengthens: advocates bilateral languages, emphasizes official language, at the same time also make sure do not abandon local minority languages Good effects: “by the end of 2012 there were 282,914 primary school students and 177,981 middle school students receiving bilingual education, accounting for 96.88 percent and 90.63 percent of the total respectively in Tibet. Now there are 23,085 bilingual teachers, and 3,700 Tibetan language teachers at schools at different levels.” Weakness: emphasize the ideologies and policies of central governments.

IV. Policy Reform Recommendations & Implications The policies encourage minority cultures and don’t limit minority beliefs. It helps to preserve cultural heritages. Should allow enough freedom rights in the minority regions, especially the freedom of cultural expression. Since minority groups have different values and believes, they should have the rights to express themselves.

China still has a long way to go to achieve democracy and freedom of speaking. The good thing is the Chinese government has realized the importance of soft power, since culture is part of soft power, and the government does publish policies to protect diverse cultures. Only when a country achieves freedom and democracy, the country will be stable and harmonious.

references Blachford, D., & Zhu, Y. (2005). Ethnic minority issues in China's foreign policy: Perspectives and implications. The Pacific Review, 18(2), 243-264. doi:10.1080/09512740500162907   China, Law of the People’s Republic of China on Regional National Autonomy, Sixth National People's Congress. China Org. Retrieved May 20, 2016, from http://www.china.org.cn/english/government/207138.htm China, Development and Progress of Tibet IV. Cultural Preservation and Freedom of Religious Belief. Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. Retrieved May 30, 2016, from http://www.china.org.cn/government/whitepaper/node_7192768.htm Davis, M. (2012). Tibet and China's ‘National Minority’ Policies. Orbis (Philadelphia), 56(3), 429-433. doi:10.1016/j.orbis.2012.05.009 Hoffman, Barbara, Art & Cultural Heritage: Law, Policy & Practice. Cambridge. Maurer-Fazio, M., & Hasmath, R. (2015, July 2). The contemporary ethnic minority in China: An introduction. Eurasian Geography and Economics, 56(1), 1-7. doi:10.1080/15387216.2015.1059290 Sunuodula, M., & Feng, A. (2009). Analysing language education policy for China's minority groups in its entirety. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 12(6), 685-704. doi:10.1080/13670050802684396