JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — President Donald Trump’s recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping focused on several major issues between the two countries, including trade, artificial intelligence and security. But one advocate says human rights also need to be part of the conversation.

Salih Hudayar, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile, joined WOKV with Kristine Bellino to talk about the treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic people in China and what he wants the United States to do about it.

Hudayar represents the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile. The region his organization calls East Turkistan is officially known in China as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

During the interview, Hudayar explained that his government-in-exile represents people who believe East Turkistan is under Chinese control and should be independent. He said the group works with leaders and governments in other countries to bring more attention to what is happening there.

Much of the conversation focused on reports of human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim groups in the region.

The United Nations has also raised concerns about China’s treatment of people in Xinjiang. A 2022 U.N. report found evidence of serious human rights abuses, including people being held in detention centers, limits on religious freedom and movement, concerns about forced labor and reports involving birth control and sterilization.

The U.S. Department of Labor has also reported that Uyghurs and other minority groups have been forced to work. U.S. law blocks many goods made in Xinjiang from entering the country unless companies can show they were not made using forced labor.

Hudayar told Krsitine he believes the United States needs to put more pressure on China over the issue.

He pointed to the U.S. government’s previous decision to call China’s treatment of Uyghurs a genocide. Hudayar said he hoped President Trump would bring up the issue directly with Xi during their recent meeting.

Hudayar also talked about Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who supported laws aimed at helping Uyghurs while serving in the Senate. Hudayar said his group’s communication with the State Department has slowed since Rubio became secretary of state.

When Bellino asked what he wants to see happen next, Hudayar said he wants China to be held responsible for its actions and wants more countries to pay attention to what is happening in the region.

He also wants the United States to support the right of people in East Turkistan to decide their own future and to refer to the region as East Turkistan instead of Xinjiang.

The Trump-Xi meeting also covered several other major issues between the United States and China, including trade, Taiwan and technology.

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