Chapter 20 checks back in with Polat to see how he's doing in a post-9/11 Chinatown in Washington. He's since moved from the neighbored where he was mugged and is now working as a deliveryman for a Chinese restaurant. Hessler, in his usual dry humor, points out the irony in a Uighur seeking freedom in American, only to work to deliver General Tso's Chicken (named after the ruthless Qing commander who conquered Xinjiang).
The chapter also highlights some of China's opportunistic behavior after 9/11. With Xinjiang and Islam becoming a growing problem to political solidarity, they sought to incorporate "East Turkestan separatists" into America's global terrorism concerns. Conservatives in America didn't see the connection to the Taliban. Further, future trade agreements with China also carried the stipulation to expand funding for Radio Free Asia and Voice of America, public radio stations and frequently broadcast Uighur sentiment. This is a common strategy of America, support opposition in a country whose political party you resent.
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