Ilham Tohti, an Uighur scholar known as an advocate for the rights of Muslim Uighur people, was sentenced to life in prison last week by a court in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region in northwestern China, on charges of preaching separatism. It was an unusually severe punishment to hand down to a moderate, peaceful intellectual. It reflects Chinese authorities' hard line on ethnic minorities who increasingly express frustration with majority Han Chinese rule.

The Chinese leaders should realize that such an approach will not succeed in containing the resistance of Uighur people. Unless Beijing drastically expands the autonomy of minority regions and takes steps to develop their economies, the country will continue to suffer from social instability as demonstrated in the recent series of terrorist attacks by separatists.

There is deep-rooted resentment among Uighur people that the Communist Party-led government dominated by Han Chinese does not respect their traditions and religion and is economically exploiting them.