The term Sinosphere, consisting of the Latin roots of Sino and sphere, generally refers to the four countries of China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Whilst some also include the countries of mainland Southeast Asia and Mongolia, the concept of the Sinosphere, as can be seen from its name, tends to only encompass the cultural area historically influenced mainly by China. Recently, the execution of this idea seems to have accelerated. China under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), instead of recognizing its neighbors as cultural contemporaries influenced by the same source, may be making moves to incorporate them as its own.

This move seems to stem from the established fact that Korea, Japan and Vietnam were all indeed influenced heavily by China throughout history. Chinese characters were used as the main method of written communication throughout the Sinosphere, and Confucianism was an influential ideology in several of the member countries’ dynasties. However, the recent maneuvers of the CCP veer away from this historical concept, instead leaning towards cultural assimilation.

Kimchi and Paocai

The most recent incident of such seems to be Chinese claims to the origins of kimchi, widely considered to be a traditional Korean dish. The feud started when The Global Times, a tabloid operating under the CCP’s direction, published a series of articles claiming that the vast majority of Korea’s kimchi supply is provided by Chinese sources. Further claims that China was thus setting the international standard for kimchi incurred the wrath of many Koreans, who called the statement a blatant attempt at cultural theft.

Later clarification from the Chinese side explained that they had only claimed the standard for paocai, which while primarily used as the Chinese translation for kimchi, is also used as a name for a similar Chinese dish involving pickled vegetables. Whether such ambiguity from the initial statement was truly a mistaken choice of wording is doubtful though, especially considering the CCP’s history on cultural appropriation. The kimchi incident is, as aforementioned, merely one of many involving various other neighboring cultures.

On Minorities and Han Immigrants

In fact, the CCP is notorious for having used methods far more sinister than it did with the Kimchi incident, especially in its highly controversial re-education camps in Xinjiang. Instituted for the supposed purpose of “countering extremism and terrorism and promoting social integration,” these re-education camps are known to target the indigenous Muslim minorities of the region. Whilst the fine details of these camps are unknown to most of the world, their purpose seems to be little more than a method of pacifying the inhabitants of Xinjiang.

The Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities of the region only came under full Chinese control after almost a century of war between the Qing dynasty and the Dzungar Khanate – the region has yet to be fully integrated into China properly since. More importantly, the CCP has maintained a steady inflow of Han Chinese immigrants into Xinjiang, most likely in an attempt to completely assimilate the region. During the first census taken in the region back in 1955, Uyghurs accounted for almost 75 percent of the region’s population, with the rest being other Turkic minorities such as the Kazakhs and the Kirghiz. A more recent census taken in 2000, however, revealed that Uyghurs constituted only 44 percent of the population, with the Han Chinese almost overtaking them at 41 percent.

Although the CCP has kept a tight lid on media reports from within Xinjiang, their methods and the following ramifications have still found a way to make themselves known to the world. A team of researchers at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute led by Nathan Ruser released a report on the matters within Xinjiang, stating that “evidence suggests that many extrajudicial detainees in Xinjiang’s vast re-education network are now being formally charged and locked up in higher security facilities, including newly built or expanded prisons.”

The discovery of such worrying prospects undermines the official stance of the Chinese government, which dismisses foreign claims that they are maltreating the native population. On top of this, while development certainly has also been one of the effects of Chinese control over the Tarim basin area, it is questionable exactly who the development is for. Ürümqi, the capital of Xinjiang, has grown into a major hub in Central Asia boasting the region’s largest population by far – a significant portion of the city’s populace, however, now consists instead of the aforementioned Han Chinese immigrants.

China Aims for the Roof of the World

Immediately south of Xinjiang lies the region of Tibet, often referred to as the roof of the world. The cold, mountainous plateaus of Tibet have also seen their fair share of Chinese influence. While it is certain that Tibet only fell under indisputable Chinese jurisdiction in 1950 after a half-year-long invasion, the history of Sino-Tibetan relations has been subject to several heated debates for a fairly long time. This is why Tibet, while technically only having been under direct Chinese suzerainty for about half a century, has had the misfortune of being both a site for intense Chinese cultural assimilation and foreign intervention.

On top of that, as can be seen from how they named the invasion of Tibet “The Peaceful Liberation of Tibet,” the CCP asserts that they were bringing cultured civilization to a region that was previously an untended backwater, only being extracted as a source of cheap labor by the theocratic Tibetan elite. Whilst the Tibetan administration previously did have an integrated serfdom, whether Tibetans agree to China’s claims that their rule brought cultured civilization is an entirely different matter.

As mentioned before, the fact that the Sinosphere was influenced in various ways by China is indisputable. Nonetheless, historic influence does not automatically give permission to claim their neighbor’s cultures as their own, or forcefully assimilate others into their fold – such methods merely serve to antagonize China’s neighbors in a world where a single nation cannot stand completely isolated. Whilst it is understandable, especially considering the century of humiliation and American hostility, that the CCP has taken a less than friendly attitude towards both its neighbors and its domestic minorities, perhaps it is time that China finally  learns the value of harmony in diversity.