ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - China has received assurances from Syria’s transitional authorities that Syrian territory will not be used for activities that threaten China’s national security, according to a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry.
Addressing concerns over the presence of Uyghur fighters in Syria, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told Rudaw on Thursday that Damascus has committed to preventing any entity from using its territory to undermine China’s security, sovereignty, or national interests.
“The East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is a terrorist organization recognized by China and listed by the United Nations Security Council,” Guo told Rudaw correspondent Mahdi Faraj. He added that Syria has pledged not to allow such groups to operate from within its borders.
Guo’s remarks came in response to questions regarding statements by a Syrian Foreign Ministry official indicating that China has not formally requested the extradition of Uyghur fighters currently in Syria.
Damascus has reportedly expressed repeated willingness to hand over jihadist fighters from China’s Uyghur minority who participated in the conflict against the former Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad.
In early December, a swift offensive by a coalition of opposition forces led by the now-dissolved Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), then headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa, resulted in the overthrow of Assad. Sharaa was subsequently appointed Syria’s interim president in late January.
Since the collapse of the Assad government, the presence of thousands of experienced foreign fighters in Syria has emerged as a key concern for the international community, including China. For Beijing, the primary issue is the status of Uyghur militants, which has become a point of tension with Syria’s new leadership - particularly following reports that many were integrated into the country’s emerging military structure.
Most of these fighters are affiliated with the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), which China designates as the ETIM and considers a terrorist organization. TIP fighters played a significant role in the anti-Assad campaign, operating largely in Idlib province and maintaining close ties with HTS.
Following the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian branch of TIP, along with other former opposition factions, was dissolved, and its members were incorporated into the new Ministry of Defense.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), between 3,500 and 4,000 Uyghur fighters were integrated into the newly formed 84th Division of the Syrian Army, a unit composed primarily of foreign combatants. Other estimates suggest that the total Uyghur population in Syria, including families, could be as high as 15,000.
In early November, China abstained from a United Nations Security Council vote on a resolution to lift sanctions on Sharaa. China’s Ambassador to the UN, Fu Cong, cited “legitimate concerns about counterterrorism issues, particularly foreign terrorist fighters in Syria,” as the reason for Beijing’s decision.
Mahdi Faraj from Beijing contributed to this article