Fearing demonstrations at the 16th Communist Party Congress, the Chinese Government has banned members of the Uighur ethnic group from Beijing’s hotels. Beijing police have expressed concerns that 700 Uighurs are currently hiding out in Beijing planning a protest of China’s rule of Xinjiang during the Party’s Congress. Xinjiang is located in the northwest of China and is the indigenous home to China’s 70 million Uighurs. Following the September 11th terrorist attacks on the U.S., China has actively sought to brand Uighur organizations as terrorist groups. China’s endeavor for international support on the Uighur issue had its biggest breakthrough months ago when the U.S. supported a bid to place a Uighur separatist group on its list of terrorist organizations.
