The current autonomy of Xinjiang -under Chinese Communist Party's de facto control- was established on 1 October 1955, officially designated as an area for self-government for the Uyghur people and other smaller national groups there -the Kazakh and the Kyrgyz being the main ones.

The penetration of the Chinese state in East Turkestan dates back to the 17th century, but a part of the Uyghur population has never accepted Chinese rule. First in 1933 and again in 1944 the Uyghur independence movement proclaimed an independent East Turkestan Republic. This Soviet-backed state collapsed in 1949. A political and cultural resistance movement -peaceful but illegal under Chinese law- and armed rebellion have both existed ever since.

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary, the Chinese government has released a white book, Historical Witness to Ethnic Equality, Unity and Development in Xinjiang, which explains that the territory"has seen continued improvement in its standard of living, comprehensive progress in various areas, stability in the overall situation of society, and positive momentum for development". The text praises what the Chinese government labels as harmony between the Han Chinese, the Uyghurs and East Turkestan's other national groups, and further states that these developments have been made possible thanks to the "strong leadership" of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the "generous support" of "the whole" Chinese nation.

But WUC's account on the facts is completely different. The pro-sovereignty group, headquartered in the US and Germany, argues that "since 1949, one massacre after another has defined the rule of CCP in East Turkestan." The organization estimates that one million Uyghurs have died over the last sis decades -not from natural causes, it is understood.

WUC's statement is critical to the image that the Chinese government document projects on investments in East Turkestan. The Chinese text, WUC argues, shows East Turkestan as the recipient of billions of dollars for development. "What is missing is that the actual beneficiaries of state investment have gone to the Chinese immigrants transferred to East Turkestan," the statement reads. "Millions of Han Chinese settled in East Turkestan over the past six decades, taking over the land, water and natural resources of indigenous Uyghurs. The mass Han Chinese immigration to East Turkestan has systematically reduced the Uyghurs into minority in their own homeland."

The most recent census showed that Uyghurs made up 45% of East Turkestan's population, while the Han Chinese accounted for 41%. In the northern half of the territory -the most developed one and where the capital city Ürümqi lies on- the Han Chinese are the vast majority.

East Turkestan is a region of high strategic value for China, given the fact that it connects central and eastern China to central Asia and Pakistan, two areas where Beijing has many economic interests. In addition, East Turkestan holds oil and natural gas reserves.