The history of Han Chinese presence in Xinjiang dates back to at least the 2nd century BC , when the Han dynasty conquered the region . Around the 9th century , the Uyghurs , originally a Buddhist , Turkic people from Mongolia migrated to Xinjiang to form the Uyghur khanate . Since then the Uyghurs have converted to Islam . Since the conception of the PRC , there have been some ethnic tensions arising between the Han Chinese and Turkic Muslim Uyghurs . This manifested itself in the 1997 Ghulja incident , the bloody July 2009 Urumqi riots , and the 2014 Kunming attack . This has prompted China to increase their military presence and operate re-education camps to address security concerns
2014 Kunming attack
2014 Kunming attack
Sinophobia