SIPRI Yearbook 2015
V. China’s international counterterrorism cooperation
The issue of terrorism has been high on China’s agenda since the outbreak of ethnic-related violence in Urumqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in 2009. Ethnically and religiously motivated attacks have become more frequent both in Xinjiang and other parts of China. Consequently, China’s concern about the potential spillover of terrorism and other forms of violence from Afghanistan and Pakistan have intensified, especially since the 2014 withdrawal of most troops deployed through the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Furthermore, in July 2014 the leader of the Islamic State (IS) group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, described China as a legitimate target for attacks. China has responded with a two-pronged strategy of furthering the economic development of the poorer Western regions (including Xinjiang) and expanding the security forces. Due to the expansion of the security forces, China now spends more on internal security than on the official defence budget.1 Internationally, these developments have prompted China to seek increased regional security cooperation to secure its borders and to stabilize its neighbours in Greater Central Asia—especially Pakistan. The threat of Chinese citizens joining militant groups such as IS to fight in Iraq and Syria might also provide a motivation for China to deepen its counterterrorism cooperation with Western partners.
- Citation (MLA):
- Duchâtel, Mathieu, Oliver Bräuner, and Katharina Seibel. "7. Trends in East Asian security." SIPRI Yearbook. SIPRI. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2016. Web. 16 Feb. 2025. <https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198737810/sipri-9780198737810-chapter-7-div1-6.xml>.
- Citation (APA):
- Duchâtel, M., Bräuner, O., & Seibel, K. (2016). 7. Trends in East Asian security. In SIPRI, SIPRI Yearbook 2015: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 16 Feb. 2025, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198737810/sipri-9780198737810-chapter-7-div1-6.xml
- Citation (Chicago):
- Duchâtel, Mathieu, Oliver Bräuner, and Katharina Seibel. "7. Trends in East Asian security." In SIPRI Yearbook 2015: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security, SIPRI. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016). Retrieved 16 Feb. 2025, from https://www.sipriyearbook.org/view/9780198737810/sipri-9780198737810-chapter-7-div1-6.xml
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