ETGE slams China-Central Asia Pact as 'Imperial Expansion'; warns of regional sovereignty erosion under Astana declaration

Washington DC [US] June 18 (ANI): The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) strongly criticised the endorsement of the "Astana Declaration" and the "Treaty on Eternal Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship, and Cooperation" during the Second China-Central Asia Summit. These agreements do not reflect true regional diplomacy; rather, they signify a pivotal moment in which Central Asia is being fundamentally integrated into China's authoritarian imperial framework, as stated in the ETGE announcement.
The authorities of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have officially committed to "eternal friendship and cooperation" and deeper integration with the People's Republic of China (PRC), aligning their economic, political, technological, and security structures with Beijing's expanding influence, as noted by the ETGE.
"These agreements undermine Central Asia's sovereignty; they abdicate it," remarked Mamtimin Ala, President of the East Turkistan Government in Exile. "By consenting to this deceitful declaration and treaty, the Central Asian governments are forfeiting their independence in a show of strategic subservience to Chinese imperialism," the ETGE announcement quoted.
In adopting Beijing's ideological rhetoric, which includes the so-called "One-China Principle" and a joint stance against alleged "terrorism, separatism, and extremism," the governments of Central Asia are not merely repeating China's rationale for its colonisation, genocide, and occupation of East Turkistan. They are also embracing the very narrative China utilises to criminalise East Turkistani identity, resistance, and the legitimate pursuit of East Turkistan's independence, as reported by the ETGE.
Since capturing East Turkistan in 1949, China has systematically turned the region into a colony. Beginning in 2014, the PRC has conducted a campaign of widespread genocide, including the mass detention of millions of Turkic individuals, the establishment of a vast network of concentration camps, pervasive forced labour and sterilization, systematic eradication of religious and cultural beliefs, and the mass slaughter of between 25,000 to 50,000 Uyghur, Kazakh, and other Turkic youths for organ harvesting. Through this brutal campaign, China has not only colonised East Turkistan but is also utilising it as a strategic foothold to facilitate its future expansion into and takeover of neighbouring Central Asian nations, the ETGE pointed out.
The so-called "Eternal Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Cooperation" serves as the legal foundation for this realignment, reinforcing what the Astana Declaration indicates: an irreversible shift toward reliance on China for economic resources, digital infrastructure, internal security, and regional significance. By endorsing the declaration and committing to the treaty, the Central Asian republics are effectively ceding their sovereignty. They are no longer functioning as completely independent nations but are increasingly resembling de facto "autonomous" regions within a burgeoning Chinese empire, subordinate in terms of function, guidance, and strategic alignment.
"Leaders of Central Asia are not ensuring their countries' future; they are surrendering them," asserted Salih Hudayar, Foreign and Security Minister of the East Turkistan Government in Exile. "The administrations of the Central Asian republics are exchanging sovereignty for infrastructure, freedom for favours, and national dignity for dependence. What transpired in East Turkistan is not an isolated calamity; it serves as a blueprint for all of Central Asia," the ETGE announcement noted.
The East Turkistan Government in Exile outright rejects the validity of both the "Astana Declaration" and the treaty. These are geopolitical tools designed to reinforce Chinese imperialist control under the false guise of regional harmony, the ETGE statement emphasised.
The ETGE urges democratic nations, international organisations, and civil societies to recognise this arrangement for what it truly is: a renewed form of Chinese imperialism, disguised in developmental terminology. This is not genuine diplomacy; it is a meticulously orchestrated imperial extension, carried out with the collaboration of local regimes that prioritise their selfish interests over those of their nations, the ETGE concluded. (ANI)