We are probably the only nation on this planet that does not accept the ‘truth’ despite knowing it. When something is published in the BBC or Voice of America, we immediately accept it as a report from an “authoritative” international organization. We do not bother to think that these institutions are not international joint assets but subsidiaries of the United Kingdom and the US State Department, created for their own benefits.
They always start a certain kind of systematic propaganda on occasions when their country is in conflict. Even if we also accept their misleading reports about us and the views of full-time or part-time Pakistani columnists. We also believe what BBC and the Voice of America say about China. We also ignore the facts regarding the condition of the Muslims in Xinjiang.
The story of Xinjiang does not begin with an East Turkestan or a “jihad.” It all begins with opium. One of the problems the British government, which bought tea from China in the early nineteenth century, faced was that the demand for tea was increasing day by day. China had the advantage of being a seller. But Britain seemed to be losing foreign exchange.
So, Britain started exporting opium illegally to China. British had been illegally exporting opium mainly from India to China since the 18th century, but that trade grew dramatically from about 1820. The resulting widespread addiction in China was causing serious social and economic disruption there.
In spring 1839 the Chinese government confiscated and destroyed more than 20,000 chests of opium—some 1,400 tons of the drug—that were warehoused at Canton (Guangzhou) by British merchants. Hostilities broke out later that year when British warships destroyed a Chinese blockade of the Pearl River (Zhu Jiang) estuary at Hong Kong.
However, peace negotiations proceeded quickly, resulting in the Treaty of Nanjing, signed in 1842. By its provisions, China was required to pay Britain a large indemnity, cede Hong Kong Island to the British, and increase the number of treaty ports where the British could trade and reside from one (Canton) to five.
British citizens were granted extraterritoriality (the right to be tried by British courts) and most-favored-nation status (Britain was granted any rights in China that might be granted to other foreign countries). Other Western countries, including United States, France, and Russia, quickly demanded and were given similar privileges.
However, these Western countries were confined to its shores. Soon there was a revolt, which was crushed by Britain, France and the United States, and treaties were restructured. And now almost the entire West came China in the name of trade. In this regard, the 90 ports were under control of Western countries. At the same time, access to inner China was gained. China was practically divided. Under a permanent agreement, the right to buy land, establish a church, and preach Christianity was also acquired in China.
Our so-called liberals today say that secularism is prevalent in the West and in a secular state, religion has no place in state or politics. But they don’t tell us that “religion” had been their most important weapon in the colonial era of these secular states. Christian missionaries were an integral part of every occupation. A network of churches was built in China to convert the local population to Christianity.
Meanwhile, Yakub Baig, an Uzbek commander backed by the British, invaded the South China and captured Xinjiang. Thirteen years later in 1877, the Chinese recaptured it. In the northeast, white clergy in and around Beijing worked day and night to convert the Chinese to Christianity. Later, a mass movement began to form against them, because, Chinese culture and identity were at stake.
In 1899 another uprising broke out. This time the uprising was organized by the civilian population in the form of an underground movement, named as Boxer movement. Although the uprising was started by the civilian population, the government soon became part of it, while the Chinese army also came to the fore. By August 1900, over 230 foreigners, thousands of Chinese Christians, an unknown number of rebels and sympathizers and other Chinese were killed in the revolt and its suppression.
But this time too, China was defeated. Thus a new treaty was signed, known as the “Boxer Protocol”. The agreement was signed by 11 winning countries. The agreement called for the execution of about a dozen senior Chinese civilian and military officials. China was fined 450 million silver coins, which was its currency. China was banned from importing arms and weapons-making machinery.
This tyranny and oppression, which began in 1842, continued for almost 110 years. During this period, the Chinese were deprived of everything, including their sovereignty, independence and national self-respect. But World War II changed everything. The power of the West moved to the United States. Britain was shrunk. Russia became the West’s first enemy since the Communist Revolution of 1917.
In China, Mao Zedong’s long march took the form of a revolution and swept away everyone, including the Chinese system and foreign occupying forces. Thus the historic journey began in 1955, in which China is constantly advancing and the West is constantly retreating.
In these last years of retreat, the defeated West used the traditional weapon of propaganda against China. Xinjiang is also important in this. In the next column, I will provide an overview of this.
