THE policy makers of China have been striving hard to maintain regional peace, stability and harmony through dialogue, diplomacy and development. Terrorism, fanaticism and radicalization are the three core security concerns of China. Right from the beginning, China has been supporting joint efforts and mechanism combating spirits of terrorism in the region. It seems that China does not want terrorism or extremist activity to spill over from Afghanistan into China. It wants to prevent terrorism from destabilizing the region.
Unfortunately, the US intervention and presence of NATO allied forces in Afghanistan sparked the growth of terrorist groups including Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) and the Uyghur East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) both accuse of fomenting separatism and terrorist attacks inside China. China is worried about potential spillover of Islamic extremism from Afghanistan into Western China and the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. China also worries that a destabilized Afghanistan will provide fertile ground for the ETIM or other groups that wish to use Afghanistan as a basing territory.
China desires to have a stable government in Afghanistan. It fears that without a government in Kabul the incidents of violence will increase throughout the country and the Taliban will be unable to fulfil their security guarantees to China and other neighbours. China wants to ensure that its border with Afghanistan is secure to prevent violent extremists from entering its territory. China is also cooperating with Tajikistan and Pakistan to combat terrorism. China has partnership with Russia and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which operates a military base in southern Tajikistan. Russia established this base in Tajikistan to provide support for the new government of Emomali Rahmon as he sought to consolidate power during the Tajikistan Civil War (1992-1997).
It has remained in place since that time. Russia says its troops are ready to respond to potential threats and challenges emanating from Afghanistan and to identify and neutralize terrorist cells that are attempting to violate the borders of Tajikistan. China aims to ensure that the Taliban are willing to eliminate Uyghur militant groups operating inside Afghan territory. It is important to stress that China has exaggerated the threat and involvement of Uyghurs in terrorist organizations. In July 2021, shortly before the collapse of the Kabul Government, Taliban leaders promised China that it would not allow foreign fighters to use Afghanistan as a base to attack China.
In the months after coming to power, the Taliban cooperated in relocating Uyghur armed groups from Badakhshan Province to central Afghanistan, allegedly to monitor their activities. The East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) remains a brutal terrorist organization with a history of violence, responsible for numerous attacks inside and outside China. It has reportedly strengthened connections with international and regional terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda, posing a grave threat to China’s overseas interests and regional stability. This underscores the urgent need for joint efforts to combat this menace effectively.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, while conducting the press conference, stressed that combating ETIM is China’s core concern in counter-terrorism and shared responsibility of the international community. Most recently, Turkish authorities formally arrested 25 suspects in connection with the shooting of a man during a service at a church in Istanbul in January 2024. One of the suspects was formerly a Chinese citizen but had obtained Turkish citizenship, with the suspect being identified as having links with ETIM and IS.
Wang noted that the East Turkistan Islamic Party has planned and carried out a series of violent terrorist attacks both inside and outside China. It is a UN Security Council-listed terrorist organization and is also listed as a terrorist organization by the Turkish government. Unfortunately, in recent years, ETIM has increased its connections with international and regional terrorist forces such as IS and Al-Qaeda, and has been actively involved in planning and carrying out terrorist activities against overseas Chinese targets, posing a serious threat to China’s overseas interests and the security and stability of relevant countries and regions.
He rightly emphasized that terrorism is the common enemy of humanity and reports once again demonstrate that ETIM is a seriously harmful terrorist organization. He termed combating ETIM as China’s core concern in counter-terrorism and is also the shared responsibility of the international community. Most recently, China’s State Council Information Office released a white paper titled “China’s Legal Framework and Measures for Counterterrorism.” It consists of five parts: “An Improving Legal Framework for Counterterrorism,” “Clear Provisions for the Determination and Punishment of Terrorist Activities,” “Standardized Exercise of Power in Fighting Terrorism,” “Protection of Human Rights in Counterterrorism Practices” and “Effective Protection of People’s Safety and National Security.” It highlights that terrorism is the common enemy of humanity, posing a grave threat to international peace and security and representing a challenge to all countries and all humanity. It advocates that all members of the international community share the responsibility to fight it.
In summary, China is willing to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation with the international community, including Turkey, to resolutely combat ETIM and jointly maintain international and regional security and stability. On its part, China has safeguarded national and public security, protected people’s lives and property and contributed to global and regional security and stability. China has also become a more active player in the international counterterrorism space. It has increased its involvement with bilateral and multilateral counterterrorism institutions. China’s vision of a global community of shared future promotes joint efforts and close liaison with other countries to push forward counterterrorism cause as part of global governance.
—The writer is Executive Director, Centre for South Asia & International Studies, Islamabad, regional expert China, BRI & CPEC & senior analyst, world affairs, Pakistan Observer.
Email: mehmoodulhassankhan@yahoo.com
views expressed are writer’s own.
