This is a list of currently active separatist movements in Asia. Separatism includes autonomism and secessionism. What is and is not considered an autonomist or secessionist movement is sometimes contentious. Entries on this list must meet three criteria:
Under each region listed is one or more of the following:
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Main article: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict |
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Further information: List of active separatist movements in Europe |
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See also: Ethnic minorities in Azerbaijan, Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic, Storming of Lankaran, Lezgins, Avars (Caucasus), Treaty of Gulistan, and Treaty of Turkmenchay |
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See also: Languages of Bangladesh and Demographics of Bangladesh |
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Main article: Secession in China |
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See also: Political status of Taiwan; One country, two systems; and Ethnic minorities in China |
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See also: Languages of China and Demographics of China |
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Main article: Ethnic issues in China |
Ethnic issues in China arise from Chinese history, nationalism, and other factors. They have driven historical movements such as the Red Turban Rebellion (which targeted the Mongol leadership of the Yuan Dynasty) and the Xinhai Revolution, which overthrew the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Ethnic tensions have led to incidents in the country such as the July 2009 Ürümqi riots.
People's Republic of China (China or PRC) is a state that is recognised by 177 (out of 192 other) United Nations member states (as well as Palestine, an observer) as the sole legitimate government of China; the PRC represents China in the United Nations and is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. These states (that recognise the PRC's legitimacy) all recognise the continental and island (e.g. Hainan) territory of "mainland China", which includes certain contentious regions such as Tibet and Xinjiang, as being part of China (disregarding border disputes). Mainland China does not include Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Hong Kong or Hong Kong SAR) is a highly autonomous territory whose sovereignty ultimately lies within China (PRC). Hong Kong's autonomy under the One Country Two Systems framework officially expires by 1 July 2047, at which point it is supposed to be fully integrated into China (PRC).
Macao (Macau) Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Macau/Macao or Macau/Macao SAR) is a highly autonomous territory whose sovereignty ultimately lies within China (PRC). Macau's autonomy under the One Country Two Systems framework officially expires by 20 December 2049, at which point it is supposed to be fully integrated into China (PRC).
Taiwan is not included in this list because it has never been governed by the People's Republic of China.
The Tibetan independence movement can either encompass the smaller Tibetan Autonomous Region (Xizang) or the larger "Greater Tibet".| Significant Secessionist Movements in China | ||||||
| No. | Claimed Territory | Capital City | Area (km2) | Population (~) | Ethnic Group | Primary Independence Movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Xinjiang (East Turkestan) |
Ürümqi | 1,828,418 | 25,000,000 | Uyghur people | East Turkestan independence movement |
| 2 | Xizang (Tibet) |
Lhasa | 1,228,400 | 3,200,000 | Tibetan people | Tibetan independence movement |
| 3 |  Inner Mongolia |
Hohhot | 1,183,000 | 25,000,000 | Chinese Mongols | Inner Mongolian independence movement |
| 4 | Hong Kong |
Hong Kong | 2,755 | 7,500,000 | Hong Kong people | Hong Kong independence movement |
| 5 | Macau |
Macau | 115 | 700,000 | Macau people | Macau independence movement |
| Total | China |
Beijing | 4,079,167 | 61,400,000 | Chinese people | Chinese nationalism |
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Shanghai, Shanghai Autonomous Movement
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Main article: Cantonese nationalism |
Cantonia
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Main article: Manchurian nationalism |
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Further information: Inner Manchuria and Outer Manchuria |
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Manchukuo
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See also: Ethnic minorities in China, Autonomous regions of China, and Autonomous administrative divisions of China |
There are five province-level autonomous regions within the People's Republic of China.
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Guangxi Autonomous Region (Guangxi AR) — Independence movement
Guangxi.svg)
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Ningxia Hui AR)
Inner Mongolia (Nei Mongol) Autonomous Region (Inner Mongolia AR) — Independence or Irredentist movement (Greater Mongolia)
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Main article: Inner Mongolian independence movement |
Inner Mongolia or South Mongolia, Unification with 
Mongolia
Greater Mongolia (Mongolia)
Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region (Tibet AR) — Independence movement
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Main articles: Tibetan independence movement and Greater Tibet |
Tibet
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang UAR) — Independence (East Turkestan) or Irredentist (Turkestan) or Islamic extremist movement
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Main article: East Turkestan independence movement |
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Further information: Central Asia |
East Turkestan
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See also: Special administrative regions of China and One country, two systems |
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Hong Kong SAR)[6] — Autonomist or Independence movement
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Main articles: Localism in Hong Kong, Hong Kong independence movement, and Hong Kong autonomy movement |
Prominent autonomist and independence movements in Hong Kong SAR
Hong Kong Independent City-State
Permanent Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (no expiration date)
Sovereignty-related fringe movements in Hong Kong SAR
Union of the Free Chinese Republics (Hong Kong-Taiwan Union)
Union of the Free Chinese Republics including Macau (Hong Kong-Macau-Taiwan Union)
British Hong Kong (reversion of Hong Kong to British rule)
American Hong Kong (admission of Hong Kong into the United States)
Commonwealth of Chinese States (Greater China)
Macao (Macau) Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (Macau/Macao SAR) — Autonomist or Independence movement
Prominent autonomist and independence movements in Macau SAR
Macau Independent City-State
Permanent Macao (Macau) Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (no expiration date)
Sovereignty-related fringe movements in Macau SAR
Union of the Free Chinese Republics including Macau (Hong Kong-Macau-Taiwan Union)
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Main article: Taksim (politics) |
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See also: Turkish invasion of Cyprus |
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
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Main article: Occupied territories of Georgia |
Breakaway states:
Republic of Abkhazia
Russia[8]Proposed autonomous movements:[when?] Armenians in Javakheti
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Main articles: Separatist movements of India, Autonomous administrative divisions of India, Northeast India, and Sikkim |
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Further information: South Asian ethnic groups, Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, Insurgency in Punjab, and Insurgency in Northeast India |
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See also: Languages of India and Demographics of India |
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Main article: Assamese nationalism |
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Kashmir
Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen
Kamtapur Liberation Organisation
Karbi Longri N.C. Hills Liberation Front
Manipur
UNLF, 
PLA, 
Kangleipak Communist Party, People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup, Maoist Communist Party of Manipur
Nagalim|
Main article: Naga nationalism |
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See also: List of active separatist movements in Oceania § Indonesia |
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See also: Great Timor, East Timor, West Timor, Free Papua Movement, Territory of Papua, West Papua (province), Papua (province), Republic of West Papua, and Papuan unification |
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See also: Languages of Indonesia and Ethnic groups in Indonesia |
Republic of Aceh
Gerakan Kemerdekaan Minahasa
South Moluccas|
Further information: Ethnicities in Iran, Ethnic minorities in Iran, Ethnic groups in the Middle East, and Demographics of Iran |
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Further information: Minorities in Iraq and 2017 Kurdistan Region independence referendum |
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See also: Languages of Iraq, Demographics of Iraq, Assyrian nationalism, Assyrian struggle for independence, and Proposals for Assyrian autonomy in Iraq |
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Proposed state: 
Republic of Kurdistan
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Main article: Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum, 2017 |
Proposed autonomous area: Nineveh Plains
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Main articles: Assyrian nationalism, Assyrian struggle for independence, and Assyrian genocide |
Assyrian Democratic RepublicProposed autonomous area: Al-Rafidain Autonomous Region
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Main articles: States and federal territories of Malaysia, Divisions of Malaysia, and Districts of Malaysia |
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See also: Proposed 2019 amendment to the Constitution of Malaysia and Separation of Singapore from Malaysia |
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See also: Languages of Malaysia and Ethnic groups in Malaysia |
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Further information: Internal conflict in Myanmar |
Arakan Federation
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File:Flag of the Wa State.png Wa State
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Further information: Languages of Nepal |
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Main articles: Secession in Pakistan and Separatist movements of Pakistan |
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Further information: Insurgency in Balochistan |
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See also: Languages of Pakistan and Demographics of Pakistan |
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Azad Kashmir[41]
along with Sistan and Baluchestan of Iran and some parts of Afghanistan.[42]|
Main article: Sindhi nationalism |
File:Flag of Gilgit Baltistan.svg Gilgit-Baltistan
Cordillera Administrative Region
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Main article: Secession in Russia |
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See also: Russian conquest of Siberia, Khanate of Sibir, and Yeniseian languages |
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See also: List of active separatist movements in Europe § Russia, Asian Russia, and Indigenous peoples of Siberia |
This table shows only the list of movements. The source of each movement is cited in its own section. The population of each area is provided for information only.
| Number | Land | Capital | Area | Population | Ethnic | Main Political Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All of Asian Russia | ||||||
| 1 |  Siberian Republic |
Novosibirsk | 13,100,000 | 40,000,000 | Sibiryak people | Siberian regionalism |
| Far Eastern Federal District of Asian Russia | ||||||
| 2 |  Sakha Republic |
Yakutsk | 3,083,523 | 1,000,000 | Yakuts | Sakha-Amuk |
| 3 |  Far Eastern Republic |
Chita | 1,900,000 | 3,000,000 | Far Eastern Russians | Alliance of the Pacific Peoples |
| 4 |  Buryatia |
Ulan-Ude | 351,300 | 1,000,000 | Buryats | All-Buryat Association |
| 5 |  Koryakia |
Palana | 292,600 | 15,000 | Koryaks | |
| 6 | .png){kind=small} Nanaia |
Troitskoye | 27,644 | 15,000 | Nanais | Nanai People's Platform |
| 7 |  Sakhalin Oblast |
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk | 87,100 | 497,973 | Japanese People, Sakhalin Koreans, Ainu people | |
| Siberian Federal District of Asian Russia | ||||||
| 8 |  Taymyria |
Dudinka | 879,929 | 40,000 | Dolgans | |
| 9 |  Evenkia |
Tura | 763,197 | 20,000 | Evenks | |
| 10 |  Tuva |
Kyzyl | 170,500 | 300,000 | Tuvanians | People's Party of Sovereign Tuva |
| 11 |  Altai Republic |
Gorno-Altaysk | 92,600 | 220,000 | Altaians | Altai-Sayan United Movement |
| 12 |  Khakassia |
Abakan | 61,900 | 550,000 | Khakhas | |
| 13 | Shoria |
Tashtagol | 25,000 | 15,000 | Shors | |
| 14 |  Ust-Orda Buryatia |
Ust-Ordynsky | 22,138 | 150,000 | Orda-Buryats | All-Buryat Association |
| 15 | Agin Buryatia |
Aginskoye | 19,600 | 80,000 | Agin-Buryats | All-Buryat Association |
| Ural Federal District of Asian Russia | ||||||
| 16 |  Yamalia |
Salekhard | 750,300 | 500,000 | Yamal Nenets | Yamal for Future Generations |
| 17 |  Khanty-Mansiysk (Yugra) |
Khanty-Mansiysk | 534,800 | 1,500,000 | Ob-Ugrians | Association to Save Yurga |
Koryak Autonomous Okrug
Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District[59][60]
Taymyr Autonomous Okrug
Siberia or Siberian Federal District[61][62]
Siberian Republic.svg)
Far Eastern Republic
Far Eastern Republic_(Crimea_disputed).svg)
Sakha Republic.svg)
Buryatia
Nanaia
Sakhalin, or Unification with 
Japan
Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug or unification with Buryatia
Confederated Republic of Altai
Evenkia[64]
Khakassia
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Tuva
Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug
Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug or unification with Buryatia
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug[65][66][67]
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug Yamalia/Nenets Autonomous Okrug
Yamalia/East Nenetsia
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Further information: Ahrar al-Najran and Qatif conflict |
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See also: Languages of Saudi Arabia and Demographics of Saudi Arabia |
Summary
| Number | Land | Capital | Area | Population | Ethnic | Main Political Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Najran | Najran | 149,511 | 550,000 | Shia Arab | Ahrar al-Najran |
| 2 |  Asir |
Abha | 76,693 | 2,250,000 | Arabs | Asser Regional Movement (ARM) |
| 3 |  Jabal Shammar |
Ha'il | 103,887 | 600,000 | Arabs | Shammar Revival Movement |
| 4 | Al-Hassa | Dammam | 672,522 | 5,000,000 | Shia Arab | |
| Total |  Saudi Arabia |
Riyadh | 1,002,603 | 8,400,000 | Saudi Arabia | no legalised political parties in Saudi Arabia |
In 2013 Robin Wright’s colorful map of a politically re-divided Middle East in the New York Times, which illustrated her article “Imagining a Remapped Middle East.” The map, entitled “How 5 Could Become 14,” shows a hypothetical future division of Libya, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia into 14 potential new countries along with two additional city-states. I was immediately reminded of Ralph Peters’ troublesome remapping of the same region. As explained in a previous GeoCurrents post, Peters’ intriguing mental exercise in redrawing national boundaries was widely misinterpreted across the Muslim world as indicating a nefarious plot to enhance US power. As a result, the region’s pronounced anti-Americanism was further inflamed.[68][69][70][71]
Furthermore, in June 2012 the Yemeni newspaper Al-Shareh revealed the names of high-ranking Yemeni state officials and tribal sheikhs who had been receiving monthly bribes from Saudi Arabia. This sparked anger among Yemenis, and a group of Yemeni activists founded the "Asir Movement" in order to reclaim the provinces of Asir, Najran, and Jizan, which Yemen conceded in the 2000 Treaty of Jeddah. A "rights organization which has worked to denounce Saudi Arabia’s abuses in northern Yemen",[72] the Asir Movement described itself as a “civil popular” movement that seeks to raise "internal Yemeni awareness" about the situation and to explore legal remedies against Saudi Arabia "for their involvement and assistance in abdicating Yemen’s historical right to its territories", all while emphasizing Yemeni unity. The movement sought to speak out against the 2000 Jeddah border agreement as well as the 1934 Taif Agreement that was signed in 1934 to end the Saudi–Yemeni War.[73]
The Qatif conflict refers to the modern phase of sectarian tensions and violence in Eastern Arabia between Arab Shi'a Muslims and Arab Sunni majority, which has ruled Saudi Arabia since early 20th century. The conflict encompasses civil unrest which has been sporadically ongoing since 1979 events, pro-democracy and pro-human rights protests and occasional armed incidents, which increased in 2017 as part of the 2017–19 Qatif unrest.
Asir
Jabal Shammar (Ha'il Region)[74]
Jabal Shammar
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Main article: Sri Lankan Civil War |
Tamil Eelam|
Main article: Syrian Civil War |
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Further information: Sectarianism and minorities in the Syrian Civil War, Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, and Federalization of Syria |
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See also: Languages of Syria and Demographics of Syria |
De facto autonomous region:
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (Rojava)
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Main articles: Secession in China, Taiwan independence movement, and Retrocession Day |
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See also: Political status of Taiwan, Cross-Strait relations, and Foreign relations of Taiwan |
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See also: Languages of Taiwan and Demographics of Taiwan |
The Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan, is a state that has diplomatic relations with 14 United Nations member states (as well as the Holy See, an observer).
Taiwan Province, Republic of China — "Taiwan Province, Republic of China" has been officially proclaimed and semi-administered by the Republic of China since 1945 (Taiwan was annexed by the Republic of China in 1945, having been recently seized from the Empire of Japan), having existed for around four years prior to the establishment of the People's Republic of China in mainland China in 1949 and the subsequent exile of the Republic of China from mainland China and retreat to Taiwan in 1949. However, this administrative division has never had the full power of a "Taiwan Province" since its territorial claim, from 1949 and onward, has always overlapped with the seat of the national government of the Republic of China in Taipei. In the present day, six province-level subdivisions (special municipalities) have been carved out of (seceded from) Taiwan Province (by the ROC government), and, therefore, Taiwan Province is de jure (under ROC law) divided into seven distinct province-level subdivisions, including itself. These province-level subdivisions are 
Kaohsiung, 
New Taipei, 
Taichung, 
Tainan, 
Taipei, 
Taiwan (including Penghu), and 
Taoyuan, and they are accompanied by another province-level subdivision (nominally part of mainland China), 
Fujian (Fukien) (including Kinmen and Matsu).|
See also: Taiwanese indigenous peoples, History of Taiwan, and Prehistory of Taiwan |
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Main article: Taiwan independence movement |
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See also: History of Taiwan, Taiwanese nationalism, and Taiwanese identity |
Republic of China ( Kaohsiung, New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei, Taiwan-Penghu, Taoyuan)
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See also: Administrative divisions of Taiwan, Geography of Taiwan, and List of islands of Taiwan |
Republic of Taiwan
Kinmen County, Republic of China (Kinmen) — Independence movement
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See also: Kinmen and Taiwan independence movement § The issue of Kinmen (Quemoy) and Matsu (Lienchiang) |
Kinmen County, Republic of Taiwan
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Main article: South Thailand insurgency |
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See also: Languages of Thailand and Demographics of Thailand |
Pattani Darul Makrif,[80] unification with 
Malaysia[81]
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See also: Minorities in Turkey and Secession in Turkey |
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See also: Languages of Turkey and Demographics of Turkey |
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Main articles: Kurdish nationalism, United Kurdistan, and Kurdish Question |
Kurdistan|
Main articles: Assyrian nationalism, Assyrian struggle for independence, and Assyrian genocide |
Assyrian Democratic Republic
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Main article: Uzbekification |
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See also: Languages of Uzbekistan and Demographics of Uzbekistan |
Republic of Karakalpakstan
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Further information: Partition of Vietnam and Reunification of Vietnam |
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See also: Languages of Vietnam and Demographics of Vietnam |
Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation
South Yemen
South Arabia,[84] 
State of Aden
Hadhramaut
Kathiri, 
Qu'aiti, 
Wahidi Balhaf, 
Mahra[88][89][90]
