5 November 2025
Press Release – For Immediate Release
East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE)
East-Turkistan.Net
contact@East-Turkistan.Net
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The East Turkistan Government-in-Exile (ETGE) calls on the United States and Central Asian governments to place East Turkistan on the agenda during the upcoming C5+1 Summit in Washington, D.C. The ETGE emphasized the importance of addressing China’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples.
“East Turkistan is the heart of Central Asia. Chinese occupation of East Turkistan has enabled Beijing’s political, military, and economic expansion across the region,” said Salih Hudayar, Foreign Minister of the ETGE. “Addressing China’s ongoing campaign of colonization, genocide, and occupation of East Turkistan is crucial to protecting Central Asia’s independence and security.”
Since China’s occupation of East Turkistan in 1949, Beijing has used the territory as a launchpad for influence operations throughout Eurasia. Today, East Turkistan anchors the Belt and Road Initiative, hosting major energy pipelines, transport corridors, and digital infrastructure connecting China with Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
China’s atrocities against Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples include mass detentions, forced sterilizations, separation of children from families, slave labor, and mass organ harvesting. These actions have been recognized by the United States as genocide and by the United Nations as crimes against humanity. The ETGE warned that continued silence from Central Asian governments risks enabling Beijing’s influence and undermining regional sovereignty.
The ETGE calls on the United States to encourage Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan to raise the East Turkistan crisis within the Organization of Turkic States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, condemning Beijing’s crimes and supporting international accountability mechanisms.
The government-in-exile further stressed that supporting the restoration of East Turkistan’s independence is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic necessity for the balance of power in Eurasia, energy diversification, and the defense of Central Asian sovereignty.
“Washington must make supporting East Turkistan’s independence a central component of its Central Asia strategy,” stated Dr. Mamtimin Ala, President of the ETGE. “A free and independent East Turkistan would contain Chinese expansion and restore the natural balance in the region, safeguarding Central Asia’s sovereignty and security.”
The ETGE reaffirms its readiness to partner with governments, international organizations, and civil society to end China’s occupation and secure lasting peace and security for the people of East Turkistan and the broader Central Asian region.