Exile government commemorates army founded in 1945 to defend Second Republic.
By The East Turkistan Post Staff | April 9, 2026
WASHINGTON — East Turkistan, what Beijing calls “Xinjiang (New Territory),” is being commemorated by the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) on the 81st anniversary of East Turkistan National Army Memorial Day, according to an ETGE statement published this week. The exile government marks the founding of the East Turkistan National Army in Ghulja on April 8, 1945, describing it as the armed force of the Second East Turkistan Republic.
The commemoration highlights the army’s role between 1945 and 1949 and honours soldiers killed during that period. ETGE materials say the National Army operated as a formal military institution until its units were absorbed into China’s People’s Liberation Army in December 1949.
Army founded to defend Second Republic
According to ETGE historical documentation, the East Turkistan National Army was formed from existing armed groups following the November 12, 1944 independence declaration of the Second East Turkistan Republic, with its administrative centre in Ghulja, also known as Yining. The army was formally inaugurated at a military parade in April 1945 and organised into multiple regiments and battalions.
“The East Turkistan National Army was established on April 12, 1945, to defend our homeland from Chinese occupation forces and preserve our right to self-determination,” the ETGE statement says. The exile government states that the force eventually fielded around 40,000 active troops and additional reserve personnel, conducting operations on several fronts against Chinese Nationalist positions.
ETGE characterises the army as the culmination of earlier resistance movements dating back to the Manchu Qing invasion of East Turkistan in the 18th century.
1949 incorporation and end of operations
Historical accounts referenced by the ETGE note that senior leaders of the Second Republic, including political and military figures, departed for Moscow in August 1949 to participate in the inaugural session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Soviet archival records cited by researchers report that the aircraft carrying the delegation crashed near Irkutsk, with no survivors.
Subsequent documentation indicates that by December 22, 1949, the East Turkistan National Army had been merged into the People’s Liberation Army as part of the consolidation of Chinese Communist control over East Turkistan. ETGE records state that this merger marked the end of organised operations under an independent East Turkistan command.
Competing narratives
Chinese government sources describe the events of 1949 as the peaceful liberation and integration of what it designates the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, presenting the incorporation of local forces into the People’s Liberation Army as part of a domestic political settlement. Beijing does not recognise the East Turkistan Republic as a sovereign state or the National Army as a separate national defence force.
The ETGE takes a different position, stating that Memorial Day is intended to preserve institutional memory of what it views as a national army defending an independent government from 1944 to 1949. The exile government calls for international recognition of the East Turkistan National Army’s historical status and says it will continue to document the force’s activities using available archival sources.
The East Turkistan Post is an independent news publication. All claims are attributed to their respective sources.
