Uighurs

What's China's stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict?

Beijing is seeking to mediate in the war between Israel and Hamas. China has condemned both parties' violence. Despite this, public hostility towards Israel prevails

In Istanbul, the last Uighur bookshops struggle to survive

Caught between a vindictive Chinese state and Turkish police, Uighur booksellers are trying to preserve their language and culture.

Search tool offers Uighur diaspora harrowing insights

Overseas Uighurs have gained insights into their family members in China's Xinjiang region, thanks to leaked data and a new search tool. Some say they feel a deep sense of guilt, others are filled with fear. William Yang reports from Taipei

India's Taliban problem

The Taliban’s victory over the United States in Afghanistan will not only greatly embolden their fellow jihadists, but also shake up the region’s geopolitics. An Afghanistan-Pakistan-China axis involving policy co-ordination would represent a major risk for India, writes Shashi Tharoor

Why Afghanistan should be filthy rich

To date, the Taliban have profited from the opium and heroin trade. Now the militant group effectively rules a country with valuable resources that China needs to grow its economy. Background by Nik Martin

Beijing's new charm offensive

The last week in March saw China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi visit six countries in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain. Two initiatives in particular are sending the clearest signal yet that China may be gearing up to play a greater political role in the Middle East. By James M. Dorsey

City of lost mosques: Suzhou tells the story of China’s Islamic past

The labyrinth of alleys and lanes in the old city of Suzhou hides a secret: historical fragments of the long history of Islam in China. In stark contrast to the current persecution of its Muslim minorities by the People's Republic, Islam was highly regarded by generations of Chinese emperors.

Coronavirus less dangerous than Erdogan's politics

Turkey launched its nationwide vaccination campaign with a Chinese vaccine in January. But the public focus is more on the desolate economic situation. Turkish politicians have failed to create real awareness of the dangers posed by coronavirus, writes Marion Sendker in her report from Istanbul

Fears of deportation mount among Uighurs in Turkey

Donald Trump, the obstacle to Washington's Uighur policy

A broad U.S.-led effort to hold the Chinese government to international account for its abuses of largely Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang would, at the very least, remind China that the world is watching. Sadly, President Donald Trump’s actions will likely convince Muslims only of the depths of his hypocrisy. By Anne-Marie Slaughter and Wardah Khalid

Does no-one have the guts to tackle China on the Uighurs?

On 24 November 2019, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) – along with 17 media partners from 14 countries around the world – published the "China Cables". In interview with World Uighur Congress president, Dolkun Isa, leading ICIJ journalist Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian and whistleblower Asiye Abdulaheb, Sven Lilienstroem, founder of Faces of Democracy, asks what, if anything, has changed for the Uighurs since?

"The aim is to rob the Uighurs of their identity"

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim Uighurs are being held in "re-education" camps in Western China. The more pressure the ethnic group faces from Beijing, the more important their Islamic beliefs become, says sinologist Kristin Shi-Kupfer in conversation with Luise Sammann