International
is creating electronic cyber measures to prevent internet exchange of information and communication with the free world, terrorist groups have increasingly utilised both media and the internet to reach out to a wider audience in its attempts to radicalise and spread its own propaganda. In the October 2014 edition of Al-Qaeda’s English-language magazine Resurgence, it describes China’s restive Xinjiang region as an “occupied Muslim land” to be “recovered into the shade of the Islamic State”. The magazine also features an article titled “Did You Know? 10 facts About East Turkistan, “referring to the name for Xinjiang used by those who advocate independence from China. The ETIM has utilised the media with its own media organisation called “Islam Awazi” in Uyghur, which means “Voice of Islam” in English and “Sawt al-Islam” in Arabic. The ETIM has also published online statements in English, Arabic and Uyghur in an effort to reach an international audience. However, just as the Chinese state media controls its media and uses propaganda in an effort to stigmatise ETIM and other Uyghur, it is highly likely that ETIM uses the same tactics. The threat from International Terrorist Organisations In early 2014, Iraqi military forces reported that they had captured a Chinese terrorist fighting with the Islamic State (IS). Further reports from Baghdad indicated that the captured terrorist was a Uighur from China. Iraq’s Minister of Defense posted photographs of the captured militant and stated that it was the first sign that Chinese nationals are answering the call of jihad and going into Iraq and Syria to fight for the Sunni group to establish an Islamic Caliphate. According to Wu Sike, China’s special envoy to the Middle East, China suspects that this alleged militant is but just one of an estimated 100 Chinese citizens from Xinjiang, who may be fighting with Islamic State. Al-Qaeda is not the only jihadist organisation to criticize and threaten the Chinese Government and its treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang. In July 2014, the self –styled Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi spoke out in relation to Muslim rights being forcibly seized in China in a call for Muslims around the world to pledge allegiance to him. He also stated that “Your brothers all over the world are waiting for your rescue, and are anticipating your brigades”. AlBaghdadi mentioned China as the first country on the list and shows a map that reportedly highlights the territory that IS plans to occupy in the next five years-which includes a portion of Xinjiang.
numbers of people including international tourists and western media. Whilst the ETIM itself represents no serious challenge of Beijing’s power, the group will continue to use violence against the Communist Party to provoke China into harsh antiterrorism and security crackdowns that violate human rights, incite further disharmony and ethnic tensions, and to increase further violence in Xinjiang and other regions of China. China will continue to experience unprecedented terrorism over the next several years however the international community needs to exercise caution when analysing terrorism related attacks occurring in China. It is a wellestablished fact that Chinese state media in conjunction with state censors are deliberate in their attempts to dissimulate information that suits a particular political objective and what information is released to its own public as well as the international community. Foreign diplomats and journalists are restricted in their attempts to independently research and verify information pertaining to terrorism related attacks. This in itself creates uncertainly to the accuracy of reporting by state run media outlets regarding terrorist attacks and activities with China. China’s openly denounces terrorism, however; its reluctance to join other countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Australia in its fight against IS detracts from its international stance, it is anticipated that as the threat of domestic terrorist attacks on Chinese territory rises, the support from western countries will decrease.
Conclusions Historically, western nations including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and the European Union have been the preferred target of terrorist attacks both internationally and domestic. Whilst China has been spared internationally, the Kunming attack and Tiananmen attacks are symptomatic of new trends in domestic terrorism throughout China and militants may be inspired to conduct future attacks, especially at symbolic sites that attract large
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