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REAL PURPOSE OF CHINA IN THE “GLOBAL
WAR ON TERROR”
By Rukiye Turdush
China is a potential rival and a disturbing
challenge for US. This is progressively manifested by
China's annual double-digit military budget increase.
“By some estimates, China is spending the equivalent
of $65-billion (U.S) annually on its military budget
in the world, surpassed only by that of the United
States” (Global and mail. February 23, 2005). The
growth of the Chinese economy only helped to increase
Chinese nationalism, and confidence for Communism. It
is can not help to bring democracy, and can’t erase
their hostile feeling towards America. It also
accelerated their ambitious willing for world hegemony
and expansion. Despite this reality, after September
11, 2001, China declared support for the “global war
on terror”. Why did China suddenly want to support its
strategic competitor? What is its real purpose?
China has only two purposes in this matter. First, to
crack down the Uyghur Muslim “separatists” in its
colony using the “war on terror” as an excuse. Second,
to cover its own support for terrorist elements in the
Middle East. For evidence, we should analyze the
following questions: why and what kind relationship
has China with most of the autocratic Muslim countries
and with radical Islamism ? What kind of relationship
between is there between Uyghurs and those Muslim
countries?
China is an atheist Communist country. Although
radical Islamism is clearly hostile to the atheist
communist ideology, and ideologically they have
nothing in common. However, some Muslim countries
using Islamism and terrorism as a strategy for their
economical and political purposes today, met with
China on a path which is being against the West and
sharing a common enemy. It is not difficult to
understand that the Middle East Crises going on today
is not a religious holy war for all Muslims against
all other religions or ideologies as some people
described. To understand what is going on behind the
scene we need to examine the reason why despite the
China’s harsh attitude towrds Islam in East Turkistan,
Muslim countries in Middle East closed their eyes for
their Muslim brothers in China and married to China.
It is a learl substitution of China for the Soviet
Union in terrorist war against the US. Central Asian
Muslim countries also tolerate China’s human rights
abuses because of their own political and economical
weakness. Below, I would like to explain in more
detail China’s relationship to Muslim countries:
.
China became an important supplier for technology and
equipment for Muslim countries, especially for Iran’s
chemical warfare program :
“China’s supply policies will be key to whether Tehran
attains its long term goal of independent production
for these weapons,” (office of the secretary of
defence, proliferation: threat and response, November
1997 (online version)
In a February 2001 CIA report to congress, the current
status of the China chemical trade is described:
“Prior to (December 1999) Chinese firms had supplied
CW-related production equipment and technology to
Iran. Evidence [as of the beginning of 2000] suggested
that Iran continues to seek such assistance from
Chinese entities, but it is unclear to what extent
these efforts have succeeded. In June 1998, China
announced that it had expanded its chemical export
controls to include 10 of the Australia group
chemicals not listed on the CIW schedules.”
The first in a series of incidents involving Chinese
chemical transfers to Iran occurred in1993 when the US
forced the inspection of a Chinese ship called the “Yinhe”.
The final inspection of the ship determined that no
chemical precursors were abroad. Following the “Yinhe”
incident, China stated:
“As a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention,
China is very serious about international obligations
there under. Despite the fact that the Convention has
yet to take effect, China has committed itself
publicly not to produce or possess chemical weapons,
nor does it export chemical products that may be used
for the purpose of making chemical weapons in order to
ensure that the chemicals it exports will not be used
for chemical weapons. The Chinese government has
formulated extremely stringent measures to control its
chemical exports. As to the two chemicals referred to
by the US side, the Chinese government has clear-cut
order against their export to certain regions. The
Chinese government will, as always, strictly observe
its international obligations and make its
contribution to safeguarding international peace and
security and promoting normal economic and trade
exchange among countries.” [Statement by the Chinese
Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Yinhe incident. 4
September 1993.]
Despite this statement, reports and allegations about
China's chemical exports to Iran and the Middle East
have continued. In November 1996 it was reported that
China sold about 400 metric tons of chemicals (including
carbon sulphide) used in the production of nerve
agents and riot-control and tear gas to an Iranian
chemical center. Also in 1996, the US Central
Intelligence Agency reported that Iran "obtained
considerable CW-related assistance from China in the
form of production equipment and technology" and that
"Iran obtained the bulk of its CW equipment from China
and India." One such instance involved a 1996 delivery
of two tons of calcium hypochlorite, a chemical used
for decontamination, and an additional 40,000 barrels
in January or February of 1997. [Anthony Cordesman,
Iraq and the War of Sanctions, Westport: Praeger
Publishers, 1999; CIA, "The Acquisition of Technology
Relating to Weapons of Mass Destruction and Advanced
Conventional Munitions. –July December 1996," June
1997.]
In addition to US concerns about Chinese chemical
exports to Iran, there have been reports that Chinese
companies may have aided Iran's biological weapons
program. For instance, one such as statement was made
by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in her
8 January 1997 written answers to questions by Senator
Robert E. Bennett (R-Utah). Albright's response stated:
"We have received reporting regarding transfers of
dual-use items from Chinese entities to the Iranian
government entities which raise concern." According to
an US intelligence official, China sold Iran dual-use
equipment and vaccines with both civilian medical
applications and biological weapons applications.
[Bill Gertz, "Albright concedes 'concern' over
China-Iran transfers," Washington Times, 24 January
1997, p. 6.]
In 27 May 1998, a report by the Sunday Telegraph
reported that China had supplied Iran with 500 tons of
phosphorus pentsulphide in 10 consignments of 50 tons
each for an estimated $924,000. The chemical can be
used for pesticides, but also can be used as a primary
component in the production of chemical warfare agents
such as VX. The secret deal was reportedly concluded
in April 1998 and negotiated by Iran's Defense
Industry Organization and the Tianjin branch of
China's SinoChem Agency. [Con Coughlin, “China Helps
Iran to Make Nerve Gas,” The Sunday Telegraph, 24 May
1998: “Iran Denies Report of Chemical Arms Shipment
from China,” Agence France-Presse, 27 May 1998.]
In 2000, evidence emerged that Chinese companies
continued to sell chemical weapons related production
equipment to Iran. In June 2001, the State Department
announced that sanctions had again been imposed on the
Jiangsu Yongli Chemicals and Technology Import and
Export Corporation, a Chinese firm also identified in
the 1997 imposition of sanctions. [Department of
State, Bureau of Non proliferation, “Imposition of
Non-proliferation Measures Against a Chinese Entity,
Including Ban on US Government Procurement, Public
Notice 3707” 18 June 2001, in the Federal Register,
Vol. 66, No. 123, 26 June 2001]
As a compensation for China’s nuclear support, Iran
has a huge oil deal with China. For example, on 2
December 2004 the Asia Times published "China Rocks
the Geopolitical Boat with Iran Oil Deal", which is
probably one of the top stories of the century:
“The mega-gas between Beijing and Tehran worth 100$
billion, the annual export of some 10 million tons of
Iranian life qualified natural gas (LNG) for a 25-year
of period."
Importing very large quantities of Iranian LNG through
third parties made Iran effectively come under China's
protection, because any American attack on Iran will
impact directly on Chinese National Security by
severing its energy resources.
Today, imports comprise one-third of China's total oil
consumption, growing 31% last year, and by 2020 some
estimates put China's dependency on foreign oil as
high as 70% it is impossible for china to satisfy its
appetite for oil trough gaining Muslim countries
dependency on middle east, it also took advantage from
its geographical location and easily enter its hand
into the newly independent Central Asian states. (Zaman
daily newspaper, 17 march 2005, Turkish version)
China has very close relations with rich only in oil
Muslim countries and those countries supporting
China’s human rights violation on Muslims in Chinese
colonies. For example: in February 2004, Radio Free
Asia reported that Ahmatjan Osman, an Uyghur poet
well-known in the Arab world for his command of the
classical Arabic poetic tradition has applied to the
United Nations for refugee status after Syria expelled
him despite his 15 years residence in the country and
marriage to a Syrian national. Syria expelled Mr.
Osman after China pressured Damascus that his presence
in this Arab country would hurt the relations between
China and Syria.
In 1999, Kazakhstan forcibly returned Kasim Mahpir,
Ilyas Zordun, Zulfikar Memet, and Saydakhmet Memet to
China. The following year, China sentenced them to
death and reportedly executed them on charges of “separatism.”
Recently, Uzbekistan returned Husenjan Jelil who is a
Canadian citizen and other two Uyghurs to China.
In conclusion, Islamist terrorism against The West is
not a religious holy war for all Muslims, including
the Uyghurs. If so, they would not scarifies their
Uyghur Muslim brothers and get married to China. One
may ask how we explain Uyghurs were captured in
Afganistan. Indeed, this gives the false image that
Uyghurs have a relationship to terrorist organizations.
In reality, those Uyghurs had fled to Afghanistan,
having no other choice at that time. Their peaceful
activities against the Chinese regime were harshly
cracked down and they fled to Central Asian neighbour
countries, but all Central Asian countries are members
of the Shanghai Organization and they handed in those
Uyghurs to China and the Chinese government executed
them whenever they got hold of them. To rescue
themselves, they had to flee to Afghanistan because
Afghanistan was the only country which did not require
visa at that time.
Unlike China, Uyghur Muslims never have been on the
same path with some Muslim countries using radical
Islamism against Western ideology. In fact, until
today Uyghur political activities gain close support
from Western democratic countries and Uyghur refugees
got political asylum in western countries. All of this
evidence indicates that China’s claim that the Uyghurs’
freedom activities and organizations are terrorists,
is simply because they are Muslims, and is nothing but
a disguise to their own support for the terrorists. ...
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