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US-China relations
ChinaDiplomacy

China accuses US of double standards as it drops ETIM from terrorism list

  • Washington designated the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as a foreign terrorist organisation in 2002
  • Beijing says the move will hold back global counterterrorism efforts, while Chinese analyst believes it could encourage attacks

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A protester in Istanbul wears a mask with the colours of the East Turkestan flag in 2018. ETIM is seeking an independent Islamic state in Xinjiang called East Turkestan. Photo: AFP
Liu Zhen

The US State Department has removed the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) from its list of terrorist organisations, a move a Chinese analyst says could encourage attacks against China.

ETIM, founded by Uygur jihadists from China’s far western Xinjiang region in 1993, was designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in 2002, in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the United States.

The decision to revoke that designation was announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an order dated October 20 and made public on Thursday.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin expressed Beijing’s “strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition” to the move during a regular press briefing on Friday.

“ETIM is an internationally recognised terrorist organisation that seriously threatens the safety of China and the world,” Wang said. “The US backtracking on its designation shows double standards – they are using the terrorist organisation to promote their own interests and holding back international cooperation on counterterrorism.”

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused the US of using the group to promote its own interests. Photo: EPA-EFE
Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused the US of using the group to promote its own interests. Photo: EPA-EFE

The militants behind ETIM are seeking an independent Islamic state in Xinjiang called East Turkestan, a name preferred by Uygurs for the region. Beijing has accused ETIM of carrying out a number of deadly terror attacks across China and in other countries, and claims it has ties with al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

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