Uyghur-American politician urges Japan to reject cooperation with China over Uyghur genocide

Washington DC: In a significant move urging Japan to reconsider its stance, Salih Hudayar, a prominent Uyghur-American politician known for advocating for the independence of East Turkistan, called on Tokyo to refrain from cooperating with China.

In a post on X, Hudayar stated, “Japan must not cooperate with China’s genocidal regime, which continues its ongoing Uyghur Genocide in occupied East Turkistan. Cooperation with China betrays humanity and justice, as well as Japan’s own security. We urge Japan’s Prime Minister to align with freedom, not tyranny.”

On behalf of the East Turkistan Government in Exile, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to MPs @BjornSoder and @MarkusWiechel for their motion in the Swedish Parliament, which highlights the plight of the #Uyghur and other Turkic peoples and, importantly, recognizes our homeland… pic.twitter.com/0yRzTaOSN9

— East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) (@ETExileGov) November 17, 2024

Salih’s statement came in response to a post by Japan’s Prime Minister’s office on X, which read, “I met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and confirmed that we share a broad direction to comprehensively promote a ‘strategic mutual benefit relationship’ and build a ‘constructive and stable relationship’ with President Xi. We will strengthen communication to reduce the issues and pending matters between the two countries and increase cooperation and collaboration.”

Notably, East Turkistan is a term often used to refer to the region commonly known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. The area is primarily home to the Uyghur people, a Turkic-speaking Muslim ethnic group, as well as other minority groups, such as Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Tajiks. Geographically located in the far west of China, Xinjiang is rich in natural resources and strategically important, sharing borders with several Central Asian countries, as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The historical and ongoing injustice suffered by the East Turkistani people can no longer be ignored. The international community has an obligation to end #China‘s ongoing campaign of colonization, #UyghurGenocide and occupation in #EastTurkistan. https://t.co/ajTVs6QEHU

— Salih Hudayar (@SalihHudayar) November 17, 2024

Since the Chinese government’s formal establishment of control over Xinjiang, the Uyghur population has often struggled to preserve their cultural identity, religious practices, and political autonomy.

Many Uyghurs regard the region as their homeland, and there has been a long-standing aspiration for independence or greater autonomy. Over the decades, tensions between the Chinese government and Uyghur separatist movements have flared, particularly in the context of regional demands for self-determination and the preservation of Uyghur culture and religion.

On September 14, 2004, in response to increasing repression, the East Turkistan Government in Exile was established in Washington, DC. This government-in-exile, led by Anwar Yusuf Turani, sought to represent the interests of the Uyghur people globally, advocating for the recognition of East Turkistan as an independent or autonomously governed region.

The creation of this government-in-exile was a symbolic act reflecting the deep discontent among Uyghurs worldwide with China’s policies in the region, as well as their ongoing struggle for political and cultural freedom.