XINJIANG'S PARAMILITARY AGRICULTURALISTS: A VISIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 004593 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2033 TAGS: PHUM PTER PREL PGOV KIRF ECON EAGR CH SUBJECT: XINJIANG'S PARAMILITARY AGRICULTURALISTS: A VISIT TO THE XINJIANG CONSTRUCTION AND PRODUCTION CORPS REF: A. BEIJING 3857 ¶B. BEIJING 4327 Classified By: Classified by Economic Minister Counselor Robert Luke. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Xinjiang Construction and Production Corps (XJCPC) is a massive industrial and agricultural conglomerate operation in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The XJCPC, divided into state-run farming and industrial units, employs over 10 percent of Xinjiang's population and plays an important role in Xinjiang's economy. Originally founded by People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers after the 1955 Communist takeover of the Region, the XJCPC reportedly has a paramilitary component as well as an economic development role, although the military aspects appear limited. XJCPC units are partially independent from the XUAR government, and have their own police and judiciary systems. XJCPC farms are generally capital intensive, relatively modern operations that are on the forefront of implementing central government rural development goals of consolidating land holdings and commercializing agricultural production. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) PolOff and EconOff visited Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) as part of VPP Urumqi outreach efforts November 10-14. Accompanied by Provincial Foreign Affairs Office representatives, EmbOffs visited the northern Xinjiang cities of Kelamayi (Uighur: Qaramay),Changji, and Urumqi. A Brief History of the XJCPC -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The Xinjiang Construction and Production Corps (XJCPC) is a province-wide umbrella company that functions as an agricultural and industrial conglomerate. The XJCPC was founded shortly after Communist forces took over Xinjiang in 1955, and was partly a way to employ the People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers left in the region following the conquest of the province. The XJCPC's paramilitary roots were reflected in its original mission statement of "defending the borders and developing the land." Military regiments became independent farming collectives under the XJCPC and to this day individual XJCPC units use the number of the founding military regiment. During the Cultural Revolution, XJCPC also employed thousands of urban Chinese sent down to the countryside. XJCPC: Running Its Own Show? -------------- ¶4. (C) Since its founding, the XJCPC has evolved into a self-governing corporation that functions largely independently of the rest of Xinjiang, Xinjiang XJCPC Development and Reform Commission Party Secretary Fu Yuanchao told EmbOffs on November 13. Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) officials who met with Emboffs said they do not oversee the XJCPC in any way. As a largely independent entity, the XJCPC has its own police force, judiciary and court system. The XJCPC also runs its own broadcast and print media (see below). However, XJCPC officials are quick to emphasize that the XJCPC operates under Central Government direction and law, and is under the joint leadership of the Central Government and XUAR Government and Party. Fu claimed, however, that XJCPC does not rely on fiscal transfers from the Central Government. Size Matters -------------- ¶5. (SBU) According to Fu, the various units of the XJCPC employ 2,580,000 people, making it the single largest employer in Xinjiang. Thirteen percent of the XJCPC's employees are non-Han ethnic minorities, though only 40 percent of the total population of Xinjiang Province is Han. The XJCPC,s Gross Domestic Product accounts for approximately 13 percent of Xinjiang,s total GDP. The XJCPC controls an estimated 20 percent of the province's arable land, and consists of 14 primary units (13 agricultural and one industrial) located throughout Xinjiang. The XJCPC also comprises 175 agricultural farms, over 1,400 independent enterprises, 13 companies in which it holds a controlling equity stake, and 21 food processing and marketing firms. BEIJING 00004593 002 OF 003 XJCPC enterprises include light industry, textiles, and chemicals. The XJCPC runs 775 elementary and secondary schools and has six schools dedicated to adult education. It owns 206 radio and television broadcast stations and 33 newspapers. The XJCPC is the sole governing entity of the city of Shihezi, which Fu claims has won national awards for its "high level of development and civility." Oasis Economies: Agriculture and Processing -------------- ¶6. (SBU) XJCPC units function as self-contained oasis economies, brigade leader Wang Gongjun told EmbOffs during a November 12 tour of XJCPC Farm Number 136 on the outskirts of Kelamayi city. The XJCPC seeks to leverage economies of scale in its production to maximize crop output. Party Secretary Fu explained that XJCPC farms implement Central Government rural development and agricultural policies like farms elsewhere in China and XJCPC farms enjoy the same subsidies and other preferential agricultural policies. Brigade leader Wang explained that farmers in XJCPC Number 136 Farm contract land just as farmers do elsewhere in rural China, and families are responsible for production on their contracted land. The Brigade Farm Number 136, however, also coordinates agricultural production and provides a marketing channel, serving the functions filled elsewhere in China by specialized rural cooperatives and so called "dragon head firms" (see Ref A). ¶7. (SBU) XJCPC Farm Number 136 primarily grows cotton, which it processes in its own factory before sale, brigade leader Wang explained. Farm Number 136 is also diversifying into other crops to increase farmers, income and provide employment, since XJCPC Farm Number 136,s plans to mechanize cotton harvesting will decrease the need for labor (see Ref B). XJCPC Farm Number 136 is building vegetable greenhouses that it is turning over to farmers at subsidized prices. Each greenhouse covers 1 mu (0.066 hectare) of land, and each family will receive three greenhouses. Brigade leader Wang claims that farmers will have permanent use rights to the greenhouses and the land they are built on. Wang explained that the greenhouses will produce enough tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and eggplants in the winter to export to neighboring central Asian nations. Military Roots -------------- ¶8. (C) Founded to consolidate Communist control of China,s far west border regions by inserting ethnic Han settlers who could serve a security role, the XJCPC has historically been a paramilitary organization. According to our contacts, the XJCPC's military functions have largely been ceded to regular central government military and border control forces, though our interlocutors disagreed on whether military operations still remain any part of XJCPC activities. Fu Yuanchao said that the XJCPC no longer has a paramilitary component and that the various units no longer have arms. In Kelamayi City, Kelamayi Foreign Affairs Office Deputy Director Luo Xiaohui said that while the XJCPC units still have weapons, the paramilitary function is minimal. Press reporting indicates that at least some XJCPC units conduct military/border patrol readiness exercises and have a function similar to reserve or national guard units. Community Outreach, Community Tensions -------------- ¶9. (SBU) The XJCPC engages in large-scale community outreach on a regular basis, Fu said. This outreach includes agricultural and industrial training, financial donations and monetary aid and free medical care for surrounding communities. The XJCPC "respects minority religions and customs," Fu said, and thus "enjoys the support of the entire province." He further noted that 13 percent of the XJCPC employees are ethnic minorities, including over 250,000 Muslims, and as such the XJCPC is a great source of inter-ethnic solidarity amongst the working classes. (Note: there are over 10 million Muslims in Xinjiang, thus 2.5 percent work for XJCPC.) ¶10. (C) Fu, like the Chinese media, emphasized that the establishment and development of the XJCPC does not conflict with the interests of Xinjiang residents and the XJCPC is a BEIJING 00004593 003 OF 003 positive force "contributing to Xinjiang,s historical development and economic growth." But according to a former XJCPC employee who spoke with Emboff, non-Han Chinese residents of Xinjiang strongly resent early leaders in the establishment of the XJCPC. Randt