Xinjiang Uighurs are not seeking independence, all they want is better treatment, less discrimination, more jobs and investment of some of the resources extracted from their land. USA as usual is poking its nose where it does not belong. China needs to pay attention and do a better job to not to give any opportunity to USA or any others that want to create trouble.
I have been to Xinjiang and some former Soviet stans. Xinjiang economy is going up, standard of living of people is also going up, including those of minorities such as Uighur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz in Xinjiang. In some former Soviet states like Kyrgyz republic, some people still wish that Soviet Union did not break up, life was better in the Union. Many poor Tajik, Kyrgyz and Uzbek now go to Russia to do work as guest worker. Independence just to get a small less powerful state is almost always a wrong geopolitical move for any nation or people, unless its a unworkable situation and their life and property is under imminent threat.
Hopefully by 2014, USA will leave Afghanistan for good and never come back to meddle in Central Asia. China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan need to play active role to keep Afghanistan stabilized so USA do not find another opportunity to step in and make a mess.
Here is the road map I predict for this region:
http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-affairs/180767-geopolitics-eurasia-region.html