BİR MEKANİZMA OLARAK MİLLİYETÇİLİK: SİNCAN PAMUK YASAĞI OLAYININ ANALİZİ

22 Mart 2021 tarihinde Çin üzerindeki baskı; ABD, İngiltere, Kanada ve Avrupa Birliği tarafından, Sincan Uygur Özerk Bölgesi’ndeki iddia edilen suistimaller nedeniyle, mevcut ve eski Çinli yetkililere koordineli bir dizi yaptırım uygulanarak artırıldı. Çin, Avrupalı yetkililere kendi yaptırımlarıyla yanıt verdi. Nitekim bu olaydan çok kısa bir süre sonra, 10 Haziran 2021’de Çin, “yabancı eylemlere karşı” yeni bir yasa çıkardı. Kampların terörle mücadele için kullanılan “yeniden eğitim” tesisleri olduğunu belirterek taciz iddialarını reddetti. Xinhua Net’e göre, internet kullanıcıları H&M ve Nike’ın Sincan pamuğu kullanmayı reddetmesinin ardından yerel markalara desteklerini dile getirdiler. Bunun yanı sıra, Sincan pamuğuyla bağlantılı 11 konu, Çin’in Twitter benzeri sosyal medya platformu Sina Weibo’da trendler listesinde yer aldı ve her konu on milyonlarca görüş ve tartışmayı çekti. Bu çalışma, devlet için bir meşruiyet kaynağı ve araçsal strateji işlevi gören milliyetçilik ve medya/medya sansür teorilerini baz alarak bu olayı milliyetçilik kavramıyla ilişkilendirmeye çalışmış, en yüksek hükümetin uluslararası baskıyla karşı karşıya kaldığı süreçteki milliyetçilik yaklaşımını ve kamuoyu yönetimini analiz etmeyi amaçlamıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Sincan pamuk yasağı, milliyetçilik, milliyetçi duyarlılık, yabancı karşıtı protestolar, medya sansürü, boykotlar, Çin hükümeti

NATIONALISM AS A MECHANISM: ANALYSIS OF XINJIANG COTTON BAN INCIDENT

On March 22, 2021 the US, UK, Canada and the European Union imposed a coordinated series of sanctions on current and former Chinese officials, increasing pressure on China for alleged abuses in Xinjiang. China replied with its own sanctions on European officials. Indeed, very recently after this event, on June 10, 2021, China passed a new law to ‘‘counter foreign actions’’. It has rejected the allegations of abuse, stating that the camps are ‘‘re-education’’ facilities utilised to combat terrorism. According to Xinhua Net netizens expressed support for local brands after H&M and Nike came under fire in China for refusing to use Xinjiang cotton. In addition to this, 11 topics connected to Xinjiang cotton were on the trending list in China’s Twitter-like social media platform Sina Weibo, each issue attracting tens of millions of views and discussions. The study tried to relate this phenomenon to the concept of nationalism by taking literature from nationalism and media/media censorship theories, which mainly serve as a source of legitimacy and instrumental strategy for the state. The study aims to analyse the highest government’s management of nationalism and public opinion, during the time it faces international pressure.

Keywords:

Xinjiang cotton ban, nationalism, nationalistic sentiment, anti-foreign protests, media censorship, boycotts, the Chinese government,

PDF

___

1) ‘‘Across China: Chinese consumers voice support for Xinjiang cotton to refute smears’’, Xinhua Net, March 30, 2021 http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-03/30/c_139847040.htm (Accessed June 10, 2021)
2)‘‘Boycott’’, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boycott (Accessed June 10, 2021)
3)‘‘Communist Youth League of China’’, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Youth_League_of_China (Accessed June 10, 2021)
4)‘‘Comments’’, Weibo, https://weibo.com/2049875433/K7HX70cl7?filter=hot&root_comment_id=0&type=comment (Accessed June 10, 2021)
5)‘‘Comments’’, Weibo, https://weibo.com/3937348351/K7E7iAC8x?type=comment#_rnd1623318020021(Accessed June 10, 2021)
6)‘‘China attacks Western nations, firms over Xinjiang cotton boycott’’, Aljazeera, March 29, 2021 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/29/china-slams-western-nations-firms-over-xinjiang-cotton-boycott (Accessed June 10, 2021)
7)‘‘Can China Change the Definition of Human Rights?’’ The Diplomat, February 23, 2021 https://thediplomat.com/2021/02/can-china-change-the-definition-of-human-rights/ (Accessed October 7, 2021)
8)Cairns, Christopher and Carlson, Allen. “Real-world Islands in a Social Media Sea: Nationalism and Censorship on Weibo during the 2012 Diaoyu/Senkaku Crisis”, The China Quarterly 225 (2016): 23 - 49.
9)‘‘Chinese people – not govt – urge boycott of West brands over Xinjiang cotton’’, Global Times, March 26, 2021 https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202103/1219547.shtml(Accessed June 10, 2021)
10)‘‘Chinese public voices support for Xinjiang cotton, turns to domestic brands over H&M, Nike’’, Global Times, May 25, 2021 https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202103/1219414.shtml(Accessed June 10, 2021)
11)‘‘Chinese protest against South Korea’s Lotte’’, The Strait Times, March 17, 2017 https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/chinese-protest-against-south-koreas-lotte (Accessed May 6, 2021)
12)Gries, Peter Hays. China’s New Nationalism: Pride, Politics, and Diplomacy. (University of California Press, 2004), 1-224. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1pq06f (Accessed June 10, 2021)
13)‘‘Genron Studio: Senkaku Issue and Future of Japan-China Relations”, Japan Foreign Policy Forum, April 2014, http://www.japanpolicyforum.jp/en/archive/no12/000369.html#kiji (Accessed June 10, 2021)
14)Heywood, Andrew. Political Theory: An Introduction, (London: Macmillan Press, 1999), 1-440.
15)Haas, Ernst B. “What Is Nationalism and Why Should We Study It?” International Organization, 40, no. 3 (1986): 44-707. Doi:10.1017/S0020818300027326.
16)Hechter, Michael. Containing Nationalism. (Oxford University Press, 2000), 272.
17)Johnston, Alastair Iain and Stockmann, Daniela. "6. Chinese Attitudes toward the United States and Americans" In Anti-Americanisms in World Politics edited by Peter J. Katzenstein and Robert O. Keohane, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2011), 157-195. https://doi.org/10.7591/9780801461651-008
18)King Gary, Pan Jennifer and Roberts Margaret E. “How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression”, American Political Science Review, no. 107, 2 (2013): 1-18.
19)King Gary, Pan Jennifer and Roberts Margaret E. “Reverse-engineering censorship in China: Randomized experimentation and participant observation.” Science, no. 345, 6199, (2014): 1-10.
20)Lee, Joyce and Jourdan, Adam. ‘‘South Korea's Lotte reports store closures in China amid political stand-off’’, Reuters, March 5, 2017 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-china-lotte-idUSKBN16D03U (Accessed May 6, 2021)
21)Minzner, Carl F. ‘‘Xinfang: An Alternative to Formal Chinese Legal Institutions’’, Stanford Journal of International Law, 42, no.1 (2006): 103-108. 22)Oksenberg, Michel. “China’s confident nationalism”, Foreign Affairs, 65, no.1 (1986): 501–523.
23)‘‘Penetration rate of internet users in China 2008-2020’’, Statista, February, 2021 https://www.statista.com/statistics/236963/penetration-rate-of-internet-users-in-china/ (Accessed May 6, 2021)
24)Reilly, James. ‘‘A Wave to Worry About? Public opinion, foreign policy and China's anti-Japan protests’’, Journal of Contemporary China, 23, no.86 (2014): 197–215 25)Shirk, Susan. China: Fragile Superpower (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007), 1-338.
26)Tiezzi, Shannon. ‘‘China Passes New Law on Countering Foreign Sanctions’’, The Diplomat, June 11, 2021 https://thediplomat.com/2021/06/china-passes-new-law-on-countering-foreign-sanctions/ (Accessed June 15, 2021)
27) ‘‘Toplama kamplarına kapatılan Kazakların aileleri yardım bekliyor –Görüş’’, Euronews, 20 Aralık, 2018 https://tr.euronews.com/2018/12/20/toplama-kamplarina-kapatilan-kazaklarin-aileleri-yardim-bekliyor-gorus?fbclid=IwAR2R0RBcVjhB8Ebz0h_5A6tladBtkVNIiYc72gsVNqC84hwA8TRVcKJlUtQ (Accessed October 7, 2021)
28)‘‘Uighurs: Western countries sanction China over rights abuses’’, BBC, March 22, 2021 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56487162 (Accessed June 10, 2021)
29) ‘‘U.S. sportswear traced to factory in China’s Muslim internment camps’’, Star Advertiser, December 17, 2018 https://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/12/17/breaking-news/u-s-sportswear-tracedto-factory-in-chinas-muslim-internment-camps/?fbclid=IwAR2p2VoErVO4Pyh488QqdWyJmxMPuCFvsb9_xauatoAFaohzNA7hyDLMbFs (Accessed October 7, 2021)
30) ‘‘Xinhua Commentary: Stop tainting Xinjiang's pure cotton with dirt politics’’, Xinhua Net, March 26, 2021 http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-03/26/c_139838036.htm(Accessed June 10, 2021)
31)‘‘Xinjiang cotton: Western clothes brands vanish as backlash grows’’, BBC, March 26, 2021 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56533560 (Accessed June 10, 2021)
32)Xiuzhong Xu, Vicky et al.‘‘Uyghurs for sale’’, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, March 1, 2020 https://www.aspi.org.au/report/uyghurs-sale (Accessed September 23, 2021)
33)Weibo. ‘‘Comments’’, https://weibo.com/3937348351/K7E7iAC8x?type=comment#_rnd1623318020021 (Accessed June 10, 2021)
34)Walt, Stephen M. The Origins of Alliance, (Cornell University Press, 1987), 1- 336. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt32b5fc
35)Whiting, Allen S. “Assertive nationalism in Chinese foreign policy”, Asian Survey, 23, no.8, (1983):913–933.
36)Weiss, Jessica C. Powerful Patriots: Nationalist Protest in China’s Foreign Relations, (Oxford Scholarship Online, 2014), 1-361.
37) Weiss, Jessica C. “Authoritarian signalling, mass audiences, and nationalist protest in China”, International Organization, 67(2013):1–35.
38) Yun, Sun. ‘‘Chinese Public Opinion: Shaping China’s Foreign Policy, or Shaped by It?’’ December 13, 2011 https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/chinese-public-opinion-shaping-chinas-foreign-policy-or-shaped-by-it/ (Accessed June 10, 2021)
39)Zhao, Suisheng. A Nation-state by Construction: Dynamics of Modern Chinese Nationalism, (Redwood City, CA: Stanford University Press, 2004), 1-380.

ISSN: 1306-9136
Yayın Aralığı: Yıllık
Başlangıç: 2006
Yayıncı: Terazi Yayıncılık Basım Dağıtım Danışmanlık Eğitim Organizasyon Matbaacılık Kırtasiye Tic. Ltd. Şti.