Exiled Group Calls On Trump To Address East Turkistan And Tibet Issues At Summit
ETGE urges Trump to raise East Turkistan, Tibet rights concerns.
The East Turkistan Government-in-Exile (ETGE) and the East Turkistan National Movement (ETNM) have urged former US President Donald Trump to raise allegations of human rights abuses in East Turkistan and Tibet during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, framing the appeal around concerns of genocide, forced labour, and political repression.
The appeal comes as Trump begins a high-stakes two-day state visit to China on Wednesday, marking the first visit by a sitting US President in nearly a decade. The exile groups called on Washington to reject any agreements they claim could legitimise what they describe as the “genocide and enslavement” of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tibetans, and other communities under Chinese rule.
In their statement, ETGE and ETNM alleged that China’s policies in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, which they refer to as “East Turkistan,” amount to a long-running campaign of persecution. They claimed that mass detentions, forced labour, forced sterilisation, family separations, and other abuses have affected millions of people, while also alleging that children have been separated from their families on a large scale. The groups further asserted that Beijing’s policies represent an attempt to erase non-Chinese identities in the region.
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The organisations also raised geopolitical and resource-related concerns, alleging that East Turkistan contains significant deposits of critical minerals, including lithium, beryllium, titanium, and rare earth elements. They claimed these resources are being extracted under coercive conditions and argued that control over the region gives China strategic leverage in global supply chains. The statements further alleged that the area has been used for military infrastructure, including nuclear-related activities and missile development, claims that could not be independently verified.
ETGE President Mamtimin Ala said the group has submitted what it described as its first formal petition to the United Nations Decolonisation Committee, calling for international support for what it terms the “decolonisation” of East Turkistan. He said the only solution, in their view, is the restoration of independence for the region, which they argue would resolve ongoing human rights concerns.
ETNM Foreign Minister Salih Hudayar added that a “free and independent East Turkistan” could become a key supplier of critical minerals to the United States at competitive prices, while reducing reliance on China. As geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to shape global diplomacy, the groups have positioned human rights and resource access as central issues ahead of any potential agreements.
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