ETGE condemns US-China mineral deal over Uyghur abuse

Washington DC

The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) has denounced a proposed rare earth trade agreement between the United States and China, calling it an act that enables genocide and forced labor in the Uyghur region.

President Donald J. Trump unveiled the new deal on Wednesday, aiming to strengthen access to rare earth minerals from China. But ETGE leaders say it legitimizes the use of forced labor in East Turkistan, a region they say is under illegal Chinese occupation.

“This is not diplomacy; it is complicity,” said ETGE President Mamtimin Ala. “These minerals are soaked in the blood of enslaved Uyghurs.”

The ETGE warned that the framework contradicts America’s 2021 genocide designation against China and violates the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act. Rights group Global Rights Compliance has documented forced labor in the region’s mining industry under so-called “labour transfer” programs—state-run schemes the ETGE calls thinly disguised slavery.

Salih Hudayar, ETGE’s Foreign Minister, said, “This deal lets China keep looting our homeland and enslaving our people. America must stand with East Turkistan, not its oppressors.”

An estimated 20% of China’s rare earth output comes from East Turkistan, often extracted without consent, through coercion, and causing environmental harm.

The ETGE called on the U.S. to reject the agreement and pursue ethical trade. It urged Washington to lead a global effort to hold China accountable and support East Turkistan’s fight for freedom.

“East Turkistan is not China,” said Ala. “Every ton of rare earth tightens our chains. Justice demands principled action.”