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Real Purpose Of Opening North-West
[East Turkistan Information Center,
6/21/01]
Over the last year the Chinese government intensified so-called "strategy of opening the north-west" aimed to the "economic development of Xinjiang, Tibet, and other regions with national minorities". The "opening the north-west" is not a new policy of the Chinese government; similar policies were proclaimed in early 1990s. But, this time, the policy is being implemented in a very systematic and planned way. As for the main purpose of the "opening of the north-west", the following can be listed. First, the policy is mainly directed to exploiting rich energy resources of East Turkistan, primarily oil and gas. Second, the policy aims to decrease the excessive population pressure in China's densely populated regions by transferring this population to the sparsely populated north-west. At the same time, this population transfer is directed to decreasing the proportion of non-Chinese population in the "minority areas". Finally, third, to use the north-west as a bridge-head for the further economic and political expansion to the former Soviet Central Asian
countries.
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ETIC REPORT 2000 
