China on Wednesday reiterated that combating the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is an international responsibility, saying the UN-designated terrorist organization must be fought "wherever they are and whatever name they are in" amid concerns that Uygur extremists fighting along with jihadists in Syria may attempt to re-enter China following Turkey's ongoing offensive in the region.

Beijing also praised the Syrian government's counter-terrorism efforts in this regard.

The Global Times had earlier reported that terrorists from ETIM, which was formed with an aim to create an "independent" Islamist state in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, have been fighting along with other jihadist organizations in Syria.

"The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is a terrorist organization listed by the UN Security Council. In recent years, many ETIM members conducted activities in areas ravaged by wars and chaos, and colluded with international terrorist forces. They have severely undermined security and stability in relevant countries and regions," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang told reporters when asked about the number of ETIM terrorists active in Syria.

While the Chinese official didn't offer an exact number, a Reuters report in May 2017 cited the Syrian Ambassador to China, Imad Moustapha, claiming up to 5,000 ethnic Uygurs from Xinjiang were fighting in various militant groups in the war-torn Middle Eastern country. "China as well as every other country should be extremely concerned," Moustapha had warned.

On Wednesday, Geng asserted that "fighting the ETIM and other East Turkestan forces is part and parcel of the international counter-terrorism campaign. Those forces, wherever they are and whatever name they are in, should be combated by concerted international efforts."

Stating that China supports the Syrian government's counter-terrorism endeavors, Geng said that Beijing "is ready to enhance communication and collaboration with all relevant sides to jointly deal with terrorist threats and safeguard peace and stability of the region and beyond."

The ongoing Turkish military action against the Kurdish fighters in northern Syria has raised alarms that hundreds of ISIL-affiliated jihadist prisoners may escape prompting the ETIM terrorists to attempt their re-entry into China.

China earlier this week urged Turkey to stop its military action in Syria and resolve the problem through political and diplomatic channels within the framework of international law.

International terror alliance

Active since 1988, the ETIM is reported to have sent thousands of militants to fight along with jihadists from organizations such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIL) in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria in recent decades.

The UN Security Council Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee has listed ETIM as a terrorist organization since 2002. A year later, China's Ministry of Public Security listed ETIM along with the Eastern Turkestan Liberation Organization, the World Uygur Youth Congress and the East Turkestan Information Centre among the four "East Turkestan" terrorism organizations.

The group is said to have close ties with Istanbul, Turkey-based Uygur separatist organization East Turkestan Education and Solidarity Association (ETESA) and is also allied with the Tehreek-i-Taliban in Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organization of various militant groups based along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Militants from ETIM and ETESA have been going to Syria and linking up with organizations like Al Qaeda to fight against the Syrian government since May 2012, the Global Times reported citing China's anti-terrorism authority.

"ETIM is being helped by Al Qaeda and they are collecting funds through drug and gun trafficking, kidnapping and robbery. ETIM selected and recruited separatists, criminals and terrorists who fled from Xinjiang to receive secret terrorism training," an official from the anti-terrorism authorities told the Global Times.

Damascus, on the other hand, has accused Turkey of backing the jihadists and allowing them to enter Syria from the border. Ankara has denied the allegations saying it has been regularly sharing intelligence with Beijing on terrorist activities.

Global support for China

China has received international support on its stand against "East Turkestan" organizations, with the ETIM being individually declared a terrorist organization by the European Union, the U.S., the UK, Russia, Turkey, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the UAE.

Turkey listed ETIM as a terrorist organization in 2017, a decision that was openly praised by China. During a meeting at the time between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who has been China's State Councilor since March 2018, and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, the two sides agreed that anti-terrorism cooperation and common security are in their fundamental interests and the core of political mutual trust.

Cavusoglu assured Wang that Turkey regards China's security as its own and will never allow any activities in Turkish territory that jeopardize China's sovereignty and security.

Pakistan had banned ETIM along with two other extremist organizations active in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in 2013. Last November, during Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's first official visit to Beijing, he reaffirmed his country's support to the Chinese side in safeguarding its sovereignty and security, and combating separatism, terrorism and extremism ETIM.

Earlier this June, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Ashraf Ghani vowed to join hands in the global fight against terrorism at a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leadership summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek.

Pledging Beijing's continued support to Afghanistan building its capacity in fighting terrorism and maintaining stability, Xi urged Kabul to firmly back China's fight against the terrorist force of ETIM.