It’s China’s turn to face transnational terrorism threats
Beijing may be more motivated than ever to cooperate with the United States on counterterrorism.
Mollie Saltskog and Colin P. Clarke | April 21, 2025 09:00 AM ET
Commentary China Afghanistan Middle East Terrorism
This commentary is published in coordination with the 2025 Global Security Forum, of which Defense One is a media partner.
One of the less-heralded features of the Global War on Terror—roughly, the two decades that followed the 9/11 attacks—were the conversations that the United States shared with Russia and China about counterterrorism. Though Moscow and Beijing were targets of Sunni jihadists such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, there was always some skepticism in Washington about whether China’s terrorism problem was as dire as Beijing proclaimed. Was the Chinese Communist Party exaggerating the threat to justify the repression—which the U.S. and other countries have called genocide—of its Uyghur population?
Now, in 2025, there is less doubt that China is in the crosshairs of transnational terror groups. Capable and determined violent non-state actors could give China trouble in various hotspots around the world—in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and elsewhere.
Syria
Since Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad fell in late December, jihadist-cum-statesman named Ahmed al-Sharaa—previously known as Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, al-Qaeda’s former frontman in Syria—has skillfully taken control. But the Chechen, Balkan, and Central Asia hardliners who helped overthrow Assad may not be on board with al-Sharaa’s more moderate state-building project. This could lead to fissures in the Syrian governing coalition, or their recruitment by ISIS.
Among them are jihadists from China or Central Asia who took time after and even during the fight against Assad to threaten China. For example, Abdul Haq al-Turkistani, the leader of the Turkestan Islamic Party—one of the groups Beijing is most concerned about and which maintains links to al-Qaeda and other jihadists—released a statement in the midst of HTS’ offensive: “The Chinese disbelievers will soon taste the same torment that the disbelievers in [Syria] have tasted, if God wills.” And shortly after Assad fled to Russia, Uyghur jihadists released a video showing missiles seized from Assad’s arms depots and directly threatened China.
https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2025/04/its-chinas-turn-face-transnational-terrorism-threats/404689/?oref=d1-category-lander-top-story
