ABSTRACT
The policies and actions of the Chinese Party-state have long represented that differences between ethnic minority populations are determined by differing levels of economic development. Campaigns such as 'Open Up The West' (OUTW) have been developed with the explicit belief that increased economic growth in minority nationality areas, and improved livelihoods of the minorities who live there, will achieve a number of political goals. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the situation in China since the OUTW's introduction in 2000. An analysis of the impact of China's economic development policies on the minority nationalities of the country's Northwest has two concerns. The first is with integration through economic development, which remains the core of the Chinese Government's policies for addressing disunity. Second, for many of the region's minority nationalities, the market is the primary space of contact with the Chinese state and society.
