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If a valuable property of yours were being traded between two people right before your eyes\u2014without your permission\u2014and one of those people was a thief who had stolen your possession, while the other was a prominent person from your neighborhood who knows very well that you are the rightful owner, how would you feel? Indeed, part of the 17 disputed rare earth metals\u2014lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), and yttrium (Y)\u2014come from <\/a>East Turkestan. However, these resources, belonging to us\u2014the Uyghurs, the rightful owners of the land\u2014bring us no benefit. Instead, they bring disaster upon our heads. The more China realizes the wealth of these resources, the more it fears that the region might break away. During the past 30 years, wave after wave of so-called \u201canti-terrorism\u201d campaigns<\/a> have struck the region, and ultimately, concentration camps<\/a> were built. More than three million<\/a> Uyghurs have been detained in captivity for over eight years\u2014all because of the resources buried in our land. The Uyghur people do not want the resources that have brought them such tragedy to remain in the hands of their enemies. Therefore, they have fought tirelessly for years to take back this power. This struggle often takes the form of protecting national identity, and sometimes, of forcefully resisting China\u2019s brutality. The price we are paying for our independence struggle is extremely heavy.<\/p>\n Our people wish to cooperate with powerful nations like the United States, and through such cooperation, discuss and negotiate the future rights and shares in the use of these resources taken from our homeland. Unfortunately, the help that America has provided our people so far has been limited to humanitarian aid. The rare-earth crisis has once again proven that the Uyghur issue is not merely a humanitarian concern for America\u2014it is a strategic matter, a card of partnership and influence.<\/p>\n Instead of begging China for rare earths, America should pressure China to abandon its colonial rule over East Turkestan, one of the major sources of these resources. Rather than advising China not to assist Russia and Iran, the U.S. should work to deprive China of the resources it plunders from East Turkestan. Before calling on China to respect international trade laws, America should demand an end to the ongoing Uyghur genocide. The Uyghur issue is China\u2019s soft underbelly. It is not only America\u2019s card to restrain China but also a global concern: it is about stopping China\u2019s expansion, preventing the spread of injustice, corruption, and dictatorship worldwide, and safeguarding world peace. I believe that President Donald Trump, as a professional businessman, can make this calculation\u2014he can recognize China\u2019s weakest point and perceive the strategic value of the Uyghur issue.
\nNaturally, you would despise the thief\u2019s shamelessness and be deeply disappointed in the indifference of the prominent man. Right now, while America and China have been arguing<\/a> for more than a week about rare earth <\/a>resources, I feel exactly that same emotion.<\/p>\n
\nMore importantly, a key source of China\u2019s global economic strength lies in our homeland.
\nFor instance, 40% of China\u2019s coal<\/a>, 22% of its oil, and 20 % of its natural gas <\/a>come from here.
\nEast Turkestan is also the strategic starting point of China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative.<\/p>\n
\nChina is committing genocide against the Uyghurs precisely to secure permanent control over these strategic resources\u2014such as rare earths\u2014and to maintain eternal dominance over the United States.<\/p>\n
\nI am confident that, just as he showed courage in matters like the Panama Canal and Greenland, he can show similar courage on the Uyghur issue.
\nTherefore, I call on the Trump administration to include the independence of East Turkestan in America\u2019s foreign policy agenda and to hold direct talks with Uyghur organizations.<\/p>\n