Washington DC [US] June 2 : The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) marks the 511th anniversary of the establishment of the Yarkent Khanate by Sultan Said Khan in late May 1514 with solemnity.
As stated in the ETGE release, the Yarkent Khanate was an independent Turkic nation that governed most of East Turkistan. Its administrative hub was Yarkent, while key cultural and economic centres included Kashgar, Khotan, Keriya, Kucha, Aksu, Turpan, Qarasheher, Qumul, Dukhan, and Uzgen, which together formed a dynamic network of cities that fostered governance, commerce, scholarship, and cultural activities.
Its eastern boundary extended to the historical Jiayu Pass (Jiayuguan), long acknowledged as the traditional delimiter between East Turkistan and China, emphasising the Khanate's political autonomy. The Yarkent Khanate represents one of several independent Turkic and Indo-European nations established throughout East Turkistan's extensive history of statehood, spanning over 3,000 years, and a civilisation that is 6,000 years old. This includes the Tocharian city-states, the Hun ("Xiongnu") Empire, the Kushan Empire, and the Hephthalites, as well as the Kok Turk Khaganate (Turkistan), the Uyghur Khaganate, the Kara-Khanid Khanate, the Idiqut Uyghur State, the Chagatai Khanates, and the Yarkent Khanate, highlighting East Turkistan's significant heritage of political independence, according to the ETGE release.
In contemporary times, the legacy was carried on through the State of Yette Sheher (1864-1877), the First East Turkistan Republic (1933-1934), and the Second East Turkistan Republic (1944-1949) each representing the East Turkistani people's lasting legacy of governance, independence, and self-determination, as noted in the ETGE release.
This history of sovereignty has been intermittently disrupted by foreign control, including the Dzungars (1705-1759), the Manchu Qing Empire (1759-1863, 1877-1912), Chinese warlords (1912-1933), KMT-aligned Chinese warlords (1934-1943), and the Chinese Communist regime (1949-present), the ETGE release outlined.
The determination of the East Turkistani people to regain their national sovereignty remains steadfast, continuing today through the efforts of the East Turkistan Government in Exile. The Yarkent Khanate established diplomatic and trade links with the Mughal Empire, Ming China, and nearby Central Asian powers such as the Kazakh Khanate and the Khanate of Bukhara, confirming its recognised standing within the regional and international framework of its era, as emphasised by the ETGE release.
The East Turkistan Government in Exile cherishes the lasting legacy of the Yarkent Khanate as a cornerstone of our national history. We reaffirm our steadfast dedication to restoring East Turkistan's independence and national sovereignty, under international law, historical continuity, and the fundamental right of all peoples to self-determination, as stated in the ETGE release.
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