America's Double Standard on Anti-Terrorism Harms Both Others and Itself

The terrorist violence that shook Xinjiang over the last few days seriously threatened societal stability and the daily lives of people in the region. Violent terrorist activities are crimes against humanity and society; as such, they are the whole world’s enemy. Thus, it goes without saying that the crackdown must be decisive and punishments severe in order to effectively protect the people’s lives and property, as well as to maintain peace and stability. However, the U.S. is guilty of a double standard in this regard. It conducts anti-terrorism campaigns throughout the world for itself while supporting the East Turkestan terrorist organizations in committing terrorist violence on Chinese soil. Such actions inevitably arouse antipathy in anyone in the world with a sense of justice. Moreover, by tolerating and abetting evil, the U.S. is sowing the seeds for future pain.

In recent years, the three forces of ethnic separatism, religious extremism and violent terrorism have wreaked havoc in Xinjiang and have stubbornly refused to die. These forces have frequently employed extreme acts of terror involving the killing of innocents in order to incite ethnic hatred and derail Xinjiang’s steady development. When faced with criminal elements that dare defy the law and commit such acts of terror, the crackdown must be swift and hard. There can absolutely be no appeasement or hesitation. Terrorists must be given no place to hide and nowhere to run.

Terrorism is the enemy of all humanity. In today’s world, it should be condemned and not tolerated by any responsible country. However, the U.S. not only failed to condemn the terrorist attacks in Xinjiang, it also made an issue out of nothing, leveling accusations at China about its ethnic and religious policies, again starkly revealing America’s double standard on terrorism. Everyone knows that behind many terrorist attacks in Xinjiang lies the hidden hand of the World Uyghur Congress led by Rebiya Kadeer. The World Uyghur Congress has always received financial support from the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy, which gets most of its funding from the U.S. Congress. Another notorious Xinjiang independence group is the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. As one of the most destructive groups around, it has long been on the United Nations’ list of terrorist organizations; it was also placed on the United States’ terror list starting in 2002. Yet, for the sake of containing China, the U.S. still refuses to let go of its trump card; despite warnings from the Chinese government, it continues to brazenly support various East Turkestan terrorist organizations in their anti-Chinese separatist activities and refuses to extradite criminals from these groups. This poses a hidden long-term threat to China’s security.

East Turkestan organizations operate in collaboration with other international terrorist groups, including America’s archenemy, al-Qaida. They do not only commit acts of terror and violence in China; they represent a threat to the whole world’s security and stability. Evidence has proven that East Turkestan groups are international terrorists and a threat to the international community that each country should jointly combat. America has also been a victim of terrorism, from 9/11 to the Boston Marathon bombing this year. As such, the threat that terrorism poses should be clear to the U.S. If America continues to support East Turkestan groups, it will only sow the seeds for future pain and will harm others with no benefit to itself.