China | Hot TIP

Militant Uyghurs in Syria threaten the Chinese government

How much does China have to fear?

Still from Turkistan Islamic Party propaganda video
Photograph: Turkistan Islamic Party via X/Arslan Hidayat

AS REBELS STORMED across Syria late last year, eventually toppling the country’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad, some were accompanied by fighters from a foreign militant organisation—one with ambitions that extend far beyond Damascus. These men had roots in the Chinese region of Xinjiang and were members of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), a group which aims to establish an Islamic state spanning Xinjiang and other parts of Central Asia.

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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Hot TIP”

From the January 11th 2025 edition

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