How do we fight with China’s triple warfare strategy?

China’s triple warfare strategy (public opinion warfare, information warfare, legal warfare) has been ruthlessly implemented in East Turkistan, serving as a chilling example of hybrid warfare tactics during the ongoing genocide. The strategy of shaping public opinion warfare is targeted at the Uyghur population, with the aim of creating a precondition for the perpetration of genocide within China’s current borders. This is achieved through the propagation of Islamophobia and the dehumanization of Uyghurs, effectively laying the groundwork for the heinous crimes committed against them. Furthermore, the mass influx of Han Chinese settlers into East Turkistan as dominant colonizers has created a platform where the Han race adamantly supports their government’s genocidal policies against the Uyghur and other Turkic races. This can be seen in Han settlers’ opinions of animosity, discrimination, racism, and intensive Han ethnic nationalism against the people in East Turkistan.

China’s legal warfare strategy is a crucial component of its triple warfare approach, specifically targeting the Uyghur population not only within East Turkistan but also across Uyghur diaspora communities. This strategy serves to justify China’s genocidal actions against the Uyghurs. Drawing inspiration from the global war on terrorism, China has skillfully labeled Uyghurs as terrorists. This enabled them to manipulate global opinion and disseminate disinformation to conceal their genocidal acts beyond their borders. Through the distortion of historical, territorial and legal rights of Uyghurs, China depicts them as terrorists in Chinese territory who want to secede by violating China’s state territorial sovereignty. By doing so, China justifies and legalizes its attack on the very existence of the Uyghur people. These legal justifications serve as a smokescreen, concealing China’s true intent to eradicate the Uyghurs based on their religion, historical and territorial rights, and cultural identity. Regrettably, many neighboring and allied countries have accepted China’s disinformation about the Uyghurs, using it as an excuse to detain and deport Uyghur refugees. Tragic examples of this include the 2014 deportation of Uyghur students by the Egyptian government, who were subsequently detained and disappeared in Chinese prisons. Additionally, over 50 Uyghur refugees have been trapped in Thai detention centers for more than eight years now, as no country is willing to accept them due to China’s false portrayal of Uyghurs as terrorists, separatists, and religious extremists. Uyghurs are now being hunted and live in constant fear of deportation worldwide.

The most successful legal warfare strategy of China is to consistently employ the principles of state territorial integrity in international law as a cornerstone of its multilateral and bilateral relationships in the international community, resolutely opposing any notions of independence for East Turkistan, Taiwan, and Tibet. China has successfully gained support from all international governments, rendering this matter legally untouchable in their eyes.

China has effectively utilized global Islamophobia as a weapon in its information warfare strategy and waged a total war against the Muslim population in East Turkistan. Millions of innocent Uyghurs have been subjected to detention in re-education camps, torture, and even death. They have been ’rounded up’ like herded animals and sentenced to long-term imprisonment or forced labor under the pretext that their religious beliefs are an ideological disease. Meanwhile, they depict Western democratic nations pressuring China over the Uyghur genocide as a mere political ploy, skillfully gaining support from many anti-western countries for China’s denial of the atrocities. For instance, Pakistan and Venezuela delivered joint statements respectively on behalf of 72 countries supported China’s position during the Third Committee of the 78th United Nations General Assembly held the general debate on human rights issues on October 17, 2023.  Evidently, China’s distortion of information as a warfare strategy has played a pivotal role in its other two warfare strategies against the East Turkistanian people.

In summary, China’s targeted warfare against the Uyghurs encompasses the following key points:

1. Continuously label Uyghurs as terrorists, legally justifying the attack and oppressing Uyghurs in East Turkistan. China hunts Uyghurs through its diplomatic relationships with other governments around the world.

2. Jeopardize and ban anywhere in the world any activity aimed at establishing armed forces for the future independent country of the East Turkistanian people. This is done despite East Turkistan being an occupied nation with the right to self-defence.

3. Target Uyghurs living abroad as potential dangers who may have deep feelings for their homeland. The campaign against them includes gathering information about them, dividing their supporters, spreading rumors, using social media trolls, and engaging in information warfare.

4. Campaign against Uyghur organizations outside of East Turkistan, which includes:
a. Spreading fake news about the situation of Uyghurs in East Turkistan by individual Uyghurs. Meanwhile, allows Uyghurs abroad to use this disinformation against China, then accuses them of spreading disinformation to ruin the credibility of their intelligence.
b. Infiltrating spies into these organizations to gather intelligence and influence decision-making, disrupting management.

5. Facilitate travel documents for a small percentage of Uyghurs loyal to the CCP to travel outside of China. Simultaneously, facilitate visas for a percentage of Uyghurs to visit East Turkistan, creating a confusing environment to destroy trust between Uyghurs who visit and those not allowed to visit. This creates an illusion that China has no intention to implement genocide against the Uyghurs, as long as they accept China’s colonization and obey Chinese authority.

6. Organize visits to East Turkistan for pro-China reporters, diplomats, international scholars, historians, and anthropologists. The External Propaganda Office prepares fake scenes to effectively hide the genocide.

7. Manipulate foreign media by selecting pro-China individuals and journalists to visit East Turkistan, instructing them to report fake scenes as truth.

8. Reach out to law-makers, intellectuals, scholars, and researchers in the international community and foreign governments through a white paper.

9. Influence the general public by sending Uyghur singing and dancing groups abroad, organizing exhibitions and lectures by Chinese ethnic policy researchers, and publishing books under the name of Uyghur individuals to propagate unity with China and loyalty to the CCP. This is done to effectively refute pro-East Turkistan Uyghur writers and activists.

10. Use the principles of state territorial integrity in international law at every step of multilateral and bilateral relationships as a precondition. Put pressure on governments to oppose independence for East Turkistan, Taiwan, and Tibet.

What should we do?

It is crucial for us to implement both preemptive and defensive measures in response to China’s triple warfare strategies against the East Turkistanian people. Our aim is to convince the international community and gain friends rather than just win our arguments, and the process must be genuine. Consequently, we must not abandon the core values of the East Turkistanian people. At the same time, we need to consider our allies’ gains and losses as we aim to convince the international community of these values.

1. We must articulate and effectively spread the national aspirations of East Turkistanian people. Those in the diaspora should unite around a common national goal — the independence of East Turkistan. This is crucial not only for our principles of national independence but also to avoid confusing our allies with different goals and aspirations. It is also extremely important to counter China’s goal of creating assimilated, CCP-loyal Uyghurs who are content to live under Chinese colonization. To achieve this, Uyghur organizations must be clear about who they represent and what their mission and goals are.

2. Uyghur organizations, influencers, and activists, in particular, should be meticulous about collecting information. They must have the knowledge to distinguish between fact and disinformation. Uyghur organizations should conduct workshops for Uyghur social media activists to train them to combat China’s disinformation. The Center for East Turkistan National Interest may provide free online workshops for Uyghur activists.

3. Uyghur organizations should not limit themselves to publishing statements during critical situations. Instead, they should hire social media commentators who can consistently and continuously criticize and expose China’s intentions in every diplomatic move and action. For instance, China’s decision to permit select Uyghurs to travel should be extensively criticized through the publication of reports.

4. The East Turkistan Research Investigation Center (ETRIC) should investigate and analyze the activities of pro-China journalists, scholars, academics, and historians. It should provide clear reports to their government intelligence agencies and pro-Western writers and journalists so that they can publish investigative reports about them.

5. East Turkistan organizations should prepare a blue paper against China’s white paper. This paper must be prepared by experts, not just organization leaders. If China’s white paper distorts the history of East Turkistan, our blue paper must be prepared by historians to present the facts. Facts bring the truth, and the truth is always more convincing than distorted information. The spokesperson of East Turkistan National Interest may present these blue papers, or the book “East Turkistan’s Right to Sovereignty: Decolonization and Beyond” by Rukiye Turdush, at conferences or give them as gifts to important individuals.

6. To counter China’s legal warfare strategy, it is necessary for us to use assertive public diplomacy. This can be achieved by utilizing international law instruments to support our rightful resistance. Instead of refraining from seeking independence due to concerns about China’s false accusations of violating its state territorial integrity, we should use counterattack tactics and accuse China of colonization and violating the state territorial integrity of East Turkistan. Similarly, instead of avoiding potential armed resistance training in response to China’s allegations of violence and terrorism, we must assert that our armed resistance is a defensive measure against China’s acts of terrorism in East Turkistan.

7. We must collaborate with our allies, but that doesn’t imply blindly endorsing their actions, regardless of right or wrong. It means recognizing distinctions and similarities, understanding when and where to negotiate and bargain, and effectively providing and obtaining support.

8.We can collaborate with states in various ways:

• • Gather intelligence against China’s spy circle in the diaspora, genocide and crime against humanity, forced labor, and child removal.
  • Intensively spread documented historical academic articles that could expose Chinese colonialism and its dangerous threat of expansion through the land.
  • Emphasize the significance of independent East Turkistan to block China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) expansion through Central Asia to the West.
  • Demand governments reject China as a legitimate government in East Turkistan due to its genocidal governance.
  • Demand governments support East Turkistan’s external self-determination based on international law, while China also supports a two-state solution for Palestinians.
  • Ask the United States and its allies to recognize East Turkistan as an occupied nation to refute China’s fake image of a ‘peaceful country’ that never attacks other nations.
  • Demand governments train and hire Uyghurs for intelligence, defense, and security services, as Uyghurs can be the most loyal nation to their adopted country, reducing the risk of China’s influence.
  • Encourage Uyghur youths to enroll in military technology and military strategy academies in their host countries.