New Delhi: Beijing has largely remained outside the direct spotlight of terror outfits, but a recent report on al-Qaida’s threat has added a volatile security dimension for China.
Allegations of atrocities against the Uyghur community in Xinjiang province remain one of the most pressing human rights issues globally, with reports from international human rights organisations and even the United Nations detailing systemic repression.
The threat to China in connection with the Uyghur Muslim situation there apparently was released recently in a Telegram message quoting the chief of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, Atef al-Awlaki.
The statement is said to have celebrated the attacks on Jews and Americans, and warned China that its policies toward Uyghurs were under its watch.
The statement pledged retaliation against Chinese interests “on land and sea” if abuses continued against the Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim minority, in China’s Xinjiang province.
Among Beijing’s Afghan outreach lies this aspect too. Afghanistan’s role – with the Taliban in control of Kabul, and the country’s proximity to Xinjiang – is considered important for China.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Beijing has sought closer ties, driven by security concerns and economic interests. However, Afghanistan’s ability to help China is limited by its own instability and ideological contradictions.
While Beijing may secure short-term cooperation, the deeper grievances of Uyghurs remain unresolved. Incidentally, radical Islamist groups like Al-Qaida and ISIS consider the present Taliban as being too soft in their “jihad” and have criticised them for preferring an easier life in governance than on the battlefield.
In fact, there have been some heavy fights as well. The Wakhan Corridor, situated in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan Province, connects the region, where the Uyghur ethnic group is demanding an independent state for themselves. This autonomous region in northwest China borders several Central Asian countries.
Beijing seeks Kabul’s cooperation as a security buffer, with Uyghur separatists having alleged bases in Afghanistan.
China is reportedly pressing the Taliban to crack down on the Uyghurs’ East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which Beijing labels a terrorist organisation.
The ETIM considers China as an occupier as it intends to liberate itself through an armed uprising. Since 2017, reports have surfaced of mass detentions, forced labour, and cultural erasure in what China calls “vocational training centres” of the region.
China insists it has indulged in retaliatory measures with counter-terrorism exercise against separatist groups like the ETIM, which are denounced by rights groups.
A UN OHCHR Report in 2022 found “serious human rights violations” that may constitute crimes against humanity. Reports highlight the arbitrary detention of over one million Uyghurs, the suppression of religious practices, and the state’s surveillance and indoctrination campaigns aimed at erasing their identity.
The purported al-Qaida statement marks a shift, where it has largely prioritised the US and Israel, but the Uyghur issue now seems to have drawn its attention. However, in March 2017, ISIS released a video showcasing Uyghur armed rebels among its organisation.
The video had also threatened China with violent retaliation, reportedly showing the execution of an alleged informant by the Uyghur militants.
A commentary earlier this year in Defence One, a media partner of the 2025 Global Security Forum, had commented, “Now, in 2025, there is less doubt that China is in the crosshairs of transnational terror groups. Capable and determined violent non-state actors could give China trouble in various hotspots around the world – in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and elsewhere.”
In conclusion, it said, “Beijing was once suspected of overhyping its terror threat, but no longer. As China continues to expand its Belt and Road Initiative, with Chinese personnel and infrastructure expanding across the globe, there will likely be more incidents of kidnapping for ransom, terrorist attacks, and other actions targeting a growing Chinese presence abroad.”
Chinese projects and their nationals involved in such programmes in Afghanistan and Pakistan have experienced such attacks in the past.
(IANS)
