I don’t see how your points are valid on any level.

Which by my reckoning means there are a grand total of two Uyghurs in Xinjiang’s Flying Tigers. That’s a ratio of 1/4 of the local population making up the local team.

Which I think means my point remains valid.
Thanks – Chris

Please, do some research before you write. To help you out,
http://forums.interbasket.net/f21/ethnic-minority-players-in-china-12827/

Religion has for years been used by Indian politicians to cater to votebanks.
The author has displayed a stark misunderstanding of India in that direction.

First of all, a few differences in India and China:
1) Muslim population in India are 13.4%, in in China, the unofficial figure is 1-2%.
2) India has 2000 ethnic groups, while China has 56.

Now, any minority citizen achieving success in India is construed as India “embracing its differences” and the lack of relative lack of minority success stories in China is seen as China “not knowing what it means to be Chinese”!

The fact that Yousuf Pathan was praised for his effort has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING whatsoever to do with his being Muslim; and also has nothing to do with the assertion that he achieved such success and praise despite being Muslim.
The “despite” factor is also irrelevant here, since a) A score of Muslim cricketers have done India proud, not only Pathan, and b) there are no “religious quotas” as such for cricketers in India. Hence, the selection of a cricket player in the team depends largely on merit. The author has focused on his being Muslim more than his being a good cricketer – deliberately mixing religion and sport.

The author says: “It is almost implausible to consider a Chinese Muslim as a religious, boundary-crossing superstar in China”

Well, that’s because there are only 1-2% Muslims in China as I said earlier, and that too according to unofficial estimates. Hence common sense dictates that the chances of encountering a Chinese Muslim as a “religious, boundary-crossing superstar” are quite slim compared to India. The economic differences are also a factor.

“There is honor in losing in India”

Maybe that’s why Dhoni’s house is attacked and damaged when India loses!
During the semifinal of the 1996 Cricket World Cup in Calcutta (now Kolkata), the home crowd set fire to the stands after the Indian team collapsed.
And there are scores of such examples.

“the then Chinese team performed so badly – not even scoring one goal – that interest was lost”

To this day, soccer is the number one spectator sport in China.
In one survey, 68 percent of people asked in a Beijing poll said they watched matches in the 1998 World Cup even though a Chinese team was not present and the games were often on in middle of the night.
More than 700 million Chinese watched the World Cup in 2006.

“While India – crazy, mixed up, secular, diverse, and colorful –embraces its differences”

Maybe that’s why major riots take place in India at regular intervals – 1984, 1992, 2002…..!
Not to mention the minor ones.

“The state intervenes instead, and educates its Han citizens on their “Motherland,” while at the same time partially excluding its minorities”

Is the author trying to say that minorities are NOT educated about their “motherland”? Is China not the “motherland” of Chinese minorities too? Will the author make the same statement about India, where minorities are also taught about the Indian “Motherland”?
When has the Chinese state partially “excluded” its minorities?
And I’m not even going into the policies which FAVOUR minorities – from relaxation of the one-child policy to preference for admissions and entrance exams.

“The one-party state cannot and does not understand nor want any encouragement of regional division. India thrives on it.”

That’s right. China wants a united nation. Indian politicians, on the other hand, EXPLOIT these differences to, to put it quite bluntly, win elections.

Also – India “thrives” on regional division? Maybe that’s why so many deadly riots occur in India. Maybe that’s why a third of India’s land area is infested by armed Naxals, operating what is literally a parallel army. Maybe that’s why all seven of India’s Northeastern states have active armed insurgencies. There are so many examples that that assertion of the author seems more like fantasy.

“….a national camaraderie exists, a feeling that China cannot seem to generate”

Is that why the stadium emptied when Liu Xiang was injured?!

“at the Winter Olympics, when we learned the Chinese Olympic Committee issued

guidelines to their athletes on what to say when presented with medals: “Firstly, praise and thank your Motherland. Secondly, praise and thank your Mother”.”

There was no such advice from the Chinese Olympic Committee, but just one official. There was no official statement or advisory.

The author has also conveniently chosen to ignore the sorry and dismal state of India’s National sport – Hockey.

It is abundantly clear that either the author a) didn’t do proper research, or b) didn’t want
to do so, as his only aim was to twist facts and smear China.

– Maitreya Bhakal
India’s China Blog – http://indiaschinablog.blogspot.com/