Following reports of "Uyghur fighters" in Syria, China conducts massive military exercises in East Turkistan

China has conducted large-scale military exercises in East Turkistan under the name "Deterrence Against Terrorism-2025," under the pretext of "preparing for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the so-called Uyghur Autonomous Region, maintaining stability, and confronting the three forces.

According to Chinese propaganda outlets, these military exercises were held on April 28 in the Ili River Valley, with the participation of 4,000 soldiers from Chinese military units in East Turkistan, armed police units, border units, and divisional units. Chinese officials and agents such as Ma Xingrui and Erkin Tuniyaz attended the exercises.

Chinese reports indicated that these military exercises were distinguished by several notable points, including their larger scale, their focus on so-called counterterrorism, and their emphasis on defending against so-called "terrorist forces" coming from abroad. These military exercises focused particularly on protecting China's border security, with training on joint border surveillance, control, arrest, joint blockades, border closures, border crossing control, and cordoning off mountainous areas.

The report claimed that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the so-called "Uyghur Autonomous Region," making the task of combating separatism and terrorism extremely difficult. It also emphasized that the Chinese regime has organized security and stability measures several times recently, repeatedly highlighting the need for strict protection against the threat of "terrorist attacks coming from abroad."

The Washington Institute, a Washington-based think tank, published an analytical article on April 17, examining the role of the Uyghurs in the overthrow of the Assad regime and the appointment of several Uyghur leaders as officers in the new Ministry of Defense. The article also emphasized that changes to the constitution of the East Turkistan Islamic Party will undoubtedly increase China's concerns about Uyghur fighters in Afghanistan and Syria, adding that China has responded strongly to these changes and vowed to "strengthen so-called counterterrorism cooperation with members of the international community."