For centuries, the Uighurs, the Turkish Muslim people,
had lived in what is now modern`day western China.
But opposition to Chinese rule has led to violent
Freedom of movement, speech and religion is now strictly controlled.
Many have moved to neighbouring central neighbouring countries,
like Kazakhstan, where they have freedoms denied them at home.
But with China investing billions of dollars in the new Silk Road,
central Asian governments are under pressure to silence Uighur
We are afraid to go anywhere because we fear that Chinese authorities
I've come to Kazakhstan to find out if growing Chinese economic and
political power can silence Uighur demands for their own homeland.
The rising superpower has concentrated investment
Now it's nurturing its far western provinces, increasing trade with
It's spending billions of dollars on infrastructure,
building a modern day Silk Road from China to the West.
Kazakhstan sits right on this new Silk Road.
New roads and railways are being built.
It's a good opportunity for business people in both countries.
This family in Kazakhstan's biggest city is
This couple, a Uighur woman and her Uzbek husband.
They wake up early, have breakfast and then load up
the gloves that they buy in China to sell at the market.
He carefully steers clear of questions about Chinese politics.
The family sells specialised gloves, although they actually sell the
goods themselves, saying they don't trust anyone else to do the job.
She won't talk about politics, only business.
She fears travel on the border when she crosses to China.
Across town, in an Uighur neighbourhood, I'm introduced to
We meet at a traditional Uighur gathering.
Here, the men get together to talk about community issues.
This sort of event is banned in China.
The activist says the Chinese pressure on central Asia's
governance is definitely making it difficult for Uighurs here.
He says he knows first`hand the difficulties Uighurs face
His political activities have led him to be banned from a number
of central Asian countries and there is pressure on him from the Kazakh
China's far western region of Xinjiang is crucial to
But it's also home to the Uighurs, the Muslim ethnic minority,
many of whom desire their own state, a desire China strictly opposes,
claiming Uighur separatists are violent extremists.
Relations between the Uighurs and Beijing have long been tense
In October, 2013, a car was driven into a crowd in Tiananmen Square,
The authorities blamed Uighur separatists.
For decades, Uighurs have been leaving China for neighbouring
But even here, Uighur political activists say they're
They claim it's of pressure from China, which says Uighurs are
being radicalised by Muslim fundamentalism.
Religious freedom in China has been severely limited.
Here in Kazakhstan, Uighurs can practice their religion freely.
Not all imams are willing to talk, but one of them is.
He says despite Communist rule, the Uighur race has mostly survived
Is there any truth to the Chinese claims that some Uighurs are
He says that his role is to encourage young
Uighurs to follow the true faith and not to get involved in extremism.
He has to be careful about how he approaches the subject.
This Uighur woman says she was under pressure in China
Fearing imprisonment, she fled to Kazakhstan ten years ago.
She had been granted refugee status, but now the authorities here are
Do you think you are safe enough in Kazakhstan?
We fear Chinese authorities might catch us at any time.
A Kazakh husband and two young children.
She left her son behind, thinking she would be able to get
But the Chinese authorities have refused
My son was ten years old when I left him behind.
I thought I could first get mine sorted out, leave China and later
I cannot find him often because his telephone is tapped in China.
If all is well with him, I won't phone.
When I do phone him I don't speak about China.
She hopes to soon move to a new country,
I tried to talk to other Uighur refugees from China but they were
They say they no longer feel safe, even in Kazakhstan.
Some central Asian countries are sending Uighurs back to China
and there are even reports of Uighurs being shot trying to
Trade with China along the new Silk Road provides
an opportunity for people in Kazakhstan, including many Uighurs.
I am heading to the Kazakh`Chinese border,
about 370 kilometres from Almaty. The road takes me through the
It is a sparsely populated, unspoilt region.
Beyond the snowcapped mountains is China.
As I get closer to the border, I see a lot of construction.
There are dozens of trucks lined up to go into China.
The border is just a few hundred metres away from here.
China and Kazakhstan have jointly built
Here, traders from both sides of the border are allowed to stay
Thousands of traders cross into the newly`created border town.
But the trade hub is actually on the ancient route of the
Silk Road, where there has been heavy traffic of goods from China to
The trade hub was supported at the highest level by the Kazakh
president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and the then leader of China, Hu Jintao.
Although all this development is good for business, some Uighurs fear
growing Chinese economic power is putting pressure on the Kazakh
This Uighur activist says the investment is aimed
at serving Chinese political as well as economic ambitions.
Back in Almaty, in an anonymous looking government building, I meet
He represents Uighurs' interests in the Kazakh government.
I put to him the accusations that China's influence on the Kazakh
government is growing and that is bad for Uighurs.
I pressed him on the allegation that the Kazakh government had
He stuck to the government line on camera, but chatting
after our interview, more than once he was happy to refer to China's
Xinjiang province by a word which in Uighur means "homeland".
And that dream of an Uighur homeland remains very
This Uighur poet describes through his poetry the yearning
He is taking part in the New Year celebrations that take place every
It is celebrated at the spring equinox,
which marks the beginning of the new year in the Zoroastrian calendar.
It is very popular, especially the food.
Preparations for the festivities bring the whole community together.
I grew up watching this being cooked.
I can smell my childhood here right now.
It is traditions like this that are at the heart
This woman, a prominent Uighur activist, has made it her mission to
Through her women's group, she tries to nurture political awareness
For her, the memory of what she calls
She knows that talking about politics, even in Kazakhstan,
Life in Kazakhstan offers freedom Uighurs do not have in China.
But many fear that China's growing economy and political influence will
limit their freedoms and make their dream of a homeland,
Hello. Thank you for Juninho on. Let's see what is in store for the
next seven days. We will start with the beautiful weather we had on
Saturday. This is a picture from West Wales, lovely blue skies. The
weather is starting to change in eastern parts of the country. The
North York Moors, cloud rolling in from