Secession in China refers to several secessionist movements in the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. Many current separatist movements in
China arise from the country's
ethnic issues. Some of the factors that have created these ethnic issues include
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
,
nationalism
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
, economic and political disparity,
religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
, and other factors. China has historically had tensions between the majority
Han
Han may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group.
** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...
and other minority ethnic groups, particularly in rural and border regions. Historically other ruling ethnicities, such as the
Manchu of the early-
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
, experienced ethnic issues as well. Ethnic tensions have led to
incidents in the country such as the
July 2009 Ürümqi riots
The July 2009 Ürümqi riots were a series of violent riots over several days that broke out on 5 July 2009 in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), in northwestern China. The first day's rioting, which ...
.
Legal basis
Republic of China
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
leader
Sun Yat-sen issued a statement calling for the right of self-determination of all Chinese ethnic groups at a party conference in 1924:
“The Kuomintang can state with solemnity that it recognizes the right of self-determination of all national minorities in China and it will organize a free and united Chinese republic.”
People’s Republic of China
The 1931 constitution of the
Chinese Soviet Republic
The Chinese Soviet Republic (CSR) was an East Asian proto-state in China, proclaimed on 7 November 1931 by Chinese communist leaders Mao Zedong and Zhu De in the early stages of the Chinese Civil War. The discontiguous territories of the ...
accepted secession as legal with article 14 stating
“The Soviet government of China recognizes the right of self-determination
The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...
of the national minorities in China, their right to complete separation from China, and to the formation of an independent state for each national minority.”
However, the CCP's change from a revolutionary group to the dominant state power in 1949 led to this language being left out of later constitutions and any legal chance for secession disappeared from Chinese law.
List of secessionist movements in the People's Republic of China
Minor Movements
*
Bashu nationalism or Basuria independence movement
*
Cantonese nationalism
Cantonese nationalism () refers to the autonomy/independence of Guangdong or Cantonese-majority areas (Guangdong with Guangxi and, sometimes, Hong Kong and Macau) from China. These movements wanted to establish an independent or autonomous polit ...
or Cantonia independence movement
*
Shanghainese nationalism, Shanghai independence movement or Nguyuit Republic independence movement
*
Hoklo nationalism or unification with
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
,( Defacto Independent)Hokkienam independence movement
*
Manchuriain Nationalism
*
Hui pan-nationalism or Ningxia Proposed Greater Autonomy
Historical
Kom nationalism or Komeseland independence movement
Dian nationalism, Diantnam independence movement or Yunnan independence movement
Xiang nationalism or Hunan independence movement
*
Jiangxi–Fujian Soviet
The Central Revolutionary Base, commonly called the Central Soviet (Zone), the Kiangsi–Fukien Soviet, or the Jiangxi–Fujian Soviet, was the largest component territory of the Chinese Soviet Republic, an unrecognized state established in N ...
(1931–1937)
**Formed in rebellion by the
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
in
Jiangxi
Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...
and
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...
, with some parts located in
Gansu and
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...
.
*
Fujian People's Government
The Fujian People's Government (or spelled as the Fukien People's Government) is the common name for the People's Revolutionary Government of the Republic of China (1933–1934) (), also known as the Fujian People's Government (), was a s ...
, 1933-1934
**Historical independence movement in the context of the
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...
and
Chinese Warlord Era (
Republic of China era) in the province of
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...
.
*
Liangguang Republic, 1900
**The term "Liangguang" refers to a combination of the provinces of Guangdong and
Guangxi. It was an historical administrative division of China during the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
era. The island province of
Hainan
Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...
also used to be part of Guangdong and, by extension, Liangguang.
*
Shanghai autonomy movement, 1926-1927
Movements
Hong Kong
In 1997 the
colony of Hong Kong
Hong Kong was a colony and later a dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of occupation under the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War. The colonial period began with the Briti ...
was
retroceded
The act of cession is the assignment of property to another entity. In international law it commonly refers to land transferred by treaty. Ballentine's Law Dictionary defines cession as "a surrender; a giving up; a relinquishment of jurisdictio ...
to China, leading to the creation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Under the jointly agreed upon
Hong Kong Basic Law
The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is a national law of China that serves as the organic law for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Comprising nine chapters, 160 ...
, the Hong Kong SAR would maintain its autonomy for 50 years until 2047, after which point the region would assume full control by China. Hong Kong's autonomy, and its end in 2047, has created contention between those who support the Chinese government, and those who do not. A particular source of contention in recent years is with the structure of the Hong Kong government, where the Chief Executive is appointed by the Chinese government while
local elections
In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...
are held directly.
In 2019 the
Hong Kong extradition bill was proposed, which sparked
protests throughout Hong Kong. During the protests which followed, the pro-democracy camp gained general support alongside the Hong Kong independence movement to a small extent as well. Many of the anti-governmental groups supported localism and universal suffrage in all Hong Kong elections. In May 2020 the
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China.
With 2,9 ...
of China
passed a decision concerning Hong Kong national security legislation, whereby "secession" and "subversion" were made illegal. This move has meant that pro-independence calls are now illegal by the new decision, although some still do call for independence despite the changes to the law. In Hong Kong, the pro-democracy camp enjoys general support, though the passing of the decision by the NPC has made protesting and the organization of protests more difficult.
Macau
The Macau independence movement is the political movement that advocates for the independence of
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
from
China. Despite receiving little attention within Macau, the issue was raised in the
Legislative Assembly of Macau
The Legislative Assembly of the Macau Special Administrative Region (; ) is the organ of the legislative branch of Macau. It is a 33-member body comprising 14 directly elected members, 12 indirectly elected members representing functional co ...
following the
Hong Kong Legislative Council oath-taking controversy
The Hong Kong Legislative Council members' oath-taking controversy was a series of events surrounding the oaths of office of a dozen pro-democracy and localist members-elect of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo) on 12 October 2016 ...
. In 2017, several Chinese media outlets warned against discussion of Macau independence, fearing that speculation would lead to further action.
The Swedish magazine ''The Perspective'' speculated that the relative lack of independence sentiment in Macau stems from the SAR's reliance on gaming and tourism revenue from the Mainland. Macau is currently one of the richest regions in the world, and its wealth is derived almost entirely from gambling, which is illegal in the PRC.
Tibet
After the failed Tibetan uprising, some Tibetans followed the Dalai Lama into India, establishing a government-in-exile called the
Central Tibetan Administration
The Central Tibetan Administration (, , ), often referred to as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, is a non-profit political organization based in Dharamshala, India. Its organization is modeled after an elective parliamentary government, comp ...
.
The movement is no longer supported by the
14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...
, who although having advocated it from 1961 to the late 1970s, proposed a sort of high-level
autonomy in a speech in
Strasbourg in 1988, and has since then restricted his position to either autonomy for the Tibetan people in the
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China in Southwest China. It was overlayed on the traditional Tibetan regions of ...
''within'' China,
or extending the area of the autonomy to include parts of neighboring Chinese provinces inhabited by Tibetans.
Xinjiang
Several armed insurgency groups are fighting the Chinese (PRC) government in Xinjiang, namely the
Turkestan Islamic Party and the
East Turkestan Liberation Organization
The East Turkestan Liberation Organization (ETLO) was a secessionist Uyghur organization that advocated for an independent Uyghur state named East Turkestan in the Western Chinese province known as Xinjiang. The organization was established in T ...
, which some people consider to be associated with
Al-Qaeda and the
Islamic State
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
.
Inner Mongolia
South Mongolian independence is supported by these political parties: the
Inner Mongolian People's Party
The Inner Mongolian People's Party (IMPP) is an Inner Mongolian secessionist movement. The party was started in 1997 in Princeton, New Jersey. Citing the abuses of the Chinese government against Mongols during the Cultural Revolution, the goal ...
, a member of the
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization
The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, or simply UNPO is an international organization established to facilitate the voices of unrepresented and marginalised nations and peoples worldwide. It was formed on 11 February 1991 in The Ha ...
; the
Southern Mongolian Democratic Alliance
The Southern Mongolian Democratic Alliance () was created in May 1992, by Hada and other Mongol activists including Tegexi. Its major goal is the self-determination of Inner Mongolia (an autonomous region of China).
Historical background
In the ...
; and the
Mongolian Liberal Union Party
Mongolian Liberal Union Party ( mn, Монголын эрх чөлөө холбооны нам, ja, モンゴル自由連盟党, ) is a party which aims to separate Inner Mongolia (Southern Mongolia) from China.
The party was started in 2006 in O ...
.
[(JP)]
Manchukuo
The Manchukuo Government (formerly known as the Manchukuo Temporary Government until 2019) is an organisation established in 2004 in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
.
On its website, it claims to be the
government in exile
A government in exile (abbreviated as GiE) is a political group that claims to be a country or semi-sovereign state's legitimate government, but is unable to exercise legal power and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile ...
of
Manchukuo, a Japanese
puppet state
A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside power and subject to its orders.Compare: Puppet states have nominal sove ...
with limited recognition which controlled
Manchuria
Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer M ...
from 1932 to 1945; it seeks to revive the state and to
separate it from the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, which controls its claimed territory.
On its website, it claims to have merged with other Manchu independence organizations as of 2019.
See also
*
Bashu nationalism
*
Cantonese nationalism
Cantonese nationalism () refers to the autonomy/independence of Guangdong or Cantonese-majority areas (Guangdong with Guangxi and, sometimes, Hong Kong and Macau) from China. These movements wanted to establish an independent or autonomous polit ...
*
Language Atlas of China
The ''Language Atlas of China'' (), published in two parts in 1987 and 1989, maps the distribution of both the varieties of Chinese and minority languages of China.
It was a collaborative effort by the Australian Academy of the Humanities and the ...
*
Autonomous regions of China
The autonomous regions () are the highest-level administrative divisions of China. Like Chinese provinces, an autonomous region has its own local government, but under Chinese law, an autonomous region has more legislative rights, such as the ...
*
China proper
China proper, Inner China, or the Eighteen Provinces is a term used by some Western writers in reference to the "core" regions of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China. This term is used to express a distinction between the "core" regions pop ...
*
Ethnic issues in China
Racism in China arises from Chinese history, nationalism, sinicization, and other factors. Racism in modern China has been documented in numerous situations. Ethnic tensions have led to incidents in the country such as the Xinjiang conflict, the ...
*
List of active separatist movements in Asia
This is a list of active separatist movements in Asia. Separatism can include autonomism and secessionism, despite the fact that independence is the primary goal of many separatist movements. Many separatist movements arise as a result of religi ...
References
{{Ethnic groups in China
National liberation movements
Politics of China
Separatism in China
Secession