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tive. East Turkestan, known as the Kuwait of the twenty-first century, is
of particular interest for its oil, natural gas, uranium, coal, gold and sil-
ver mines, and is one of China's most important sources of these re-
sources. Authorities on the subject say that by 2005 East Turkestan will
be China's second most important center of oil and natural gas produc-
tion. The Tarim Basin in the middle of East Turkestan in particular is
thought to have considerable petrol reserves. That basin is therefore
known as the "Sea of Hope," and is estimated to have potential oil re-
10
serves of more than 10.7 billion tons. Research carried out by geolo-
gists has revealed a 300-million tons of oil and a 220-billion
cubic-meters of natural gas capacity. 11
China's dependence on East Turkestan for energy is not restricted
to the oil beds in the Tarim Basin. East Turkestan will also be the natural
route for any pipeline from the Central Asian Turkish states, which will
in turn be of vital importance to Chinese industry. The best way for

T he oil reserves in the Taklamakan
Desert within the borders of East
Turkestan are some of the richest
in the world.

Communist China’s Policy
of Oppression in East Turkestan