ETGE President criticises Colombia University professor’s pro-China remarks

The President of the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE), Dr Mamtimin Ala, has sharply criticised Dr Jeffrey Sachs, a Harvard PhD and Professor at Columbia University, for his recent pro-China comments.

In a viral video, Dr Sachs described China as “not an enemy” and portrayed it as a “success story,” explaining that China’s economy, now larger than that of the United States, is the real reason for its strained relationship with the US. He suggested that the US views China as an adversary simply due to economic competition.

Responding to Sachs’ remarks, Dr Ala took to X, expressing his disapproval and accusing the scholar of a deep bias.

In a post, he wrote, “When scholars are deeply biased, their words resemble a crooked spoon in water.” Dr Ala argued that while Sachs passionately critiques the US, he overlooks critical and troubling aspects of China’s actions, including its authoritarian regime, suppression of free speech, and aggressive foreign policies.

He called out China’s ongoing human rights abuses, particularly the genocide of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, its military threats against Taiwan and Australia, and its systematic theft of technology from foreign companies.

Dr Ala also highlighted China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which he claims strategically traps foreign countries in debt, as well as its extensive surveillance system used to control its citizens through a social credit system.

Additionally, Dr Ala pointed to China’s role in the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused global devastation, and questioned how these actions could be overlooked in the praise for China. He concluded his post with a direct challenge: “What constitutes an enemy if these actions don’t qualify as hostile?”

Working as president of ETGE, an organisation advocating for the independence of Xinjiang, Dr Ala holds a PhD in Philosophy from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.

He is the author of “Worse Than Death: Reflections on the Uyghur Genocide,” a book that delves into the ongoing persecution of the Uyghur population in China. In his advocacy work, Dr Ala has been vocal about the human rights violations faced by the Uyghur community, including forced labour and cultural suppression.