Washington DC [US], September 29 : The East Turkistan Government-in-Exile (ETGE) has strongly denounced China's commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, calling the event a political stunt aimed at concealing decades of repression and occupation in the region it refers to as East Turkistan.
In a statement issued on its office website, the ETGE described the anniversary ceremony, overseen by Chinese President Xi Jinping and top Communist Party officials, as a "staged gathering" that serves to legitimize China's control over the territory. The group claimed that Beijing's use of terms such as "autonomy," "unity," and "modernisation" is part of a broader effort to disguise systemic human rights abuses.
"There is nothing to celebrate, the 1955 designation of the 'Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region' was an attempt to mask China's military occupation and colonisation of East Turkistan." the statement reads.
The exiled government asserted that the Uyghur and broader Turkic population in the region has never accepted Chinese rule, emphasising that East Turkistan briefly regained independence twice in the 20th century before being brought under full Chinese control in 1949. Since then, the ETGE claims, the people of the region have continued to resist what they consider foreign occupation.
The group also accused the Chinese government of engaging in demographic manipulation, citing a rise in the Han Chinese settler population from less than 4% in 1949 to over 40% today. According to the ETGE, this shift has been facilitated by military-backed settlement programs and the activities of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
Beyond demographic changes, the statement highlighted ongoing allegations of human rights abuses, including mass internment, forced labour, surveillance, religious persecution, and cultural suppression. These actions, the ETGE says, amount to genocide and colonial domination.
"The people of East Turkistan are not a minority within China but a nation under occupation," the group states.
"Our goal is not autonomy under Chinese rule, but the complete restoration of our independence." The statement said. The ETGE called on the international community to reject Beijing's narrative, recognise East Turkistan's right to self-determination, and hold China accountable for its policies in the region.
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