The chapter discusses the nature of the Chinese state in the light of the 55 ethnic minorities that take up some 60 per cent of China's territory and traces the recent history of how the multiethnic state that is China came to include its present territories. It comments on the legitimacy of the Chinese state in its control of the minority areas. It devotes most space to the Tibetans and the Uyghurs, both of which have experienced separatist movements against China. It includes some analysis of disturbances taking place in the Tibetan areas in 2008 and Uyghur-Han ethnic rioting in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, in 2009. It argues that the Chinese state's control over the ethnic areas is indeed legitimate, though acceptance of that legitimacy is not consistent.