Albatross
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The United States is encouraging terrorism in Xinjiang, Chinese state media said on Monday, also claiming separatists in the region which has a large Uygur minority had fought alongside Syrian rebels.
Beijing denies the unrest in the vast region bordering Central Asia which last week left at least 35 people dead is due to ethnic tensions between Uygurs and Chinas majority Han.
It has vowed to crack down on terrorist groups, ordering military exercises ahead of Fridays anniversary of major riots in 2009 that left around 200 dead.
But rights groups for the mostly Muslim Uygurs blame unrest on economic inequality and religious repression, and Washington has raised concerns about discrimination.
The Peoples Daily, a mouthpiece for the ruling Communist Party, slammed the US government and media for what it said was its role in the violence.
For fear of a lack of chaos in China, it said in a commentary, the US was conspiring to direct the calamity of terrorist activities toward China.
Americas double standards on the issue of countering terrorism is no different than incitement and indulgence ... How is this different than those who act as accomplices to terrorism? it said.
It asked if the 9/11 attacks and Boston marathon bombings in April meant Americas ethnic and religious policies also have problems, while rejecting such linkages in China.
The violent terrorist incidents in Xinjiang are not an ethnic issue or a religious issue, it said, calling the massacres of officials and bystanders inhumane.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, knife-wielding mobs attacked police stations and other sites in the town of Lukqun last Wednesday before security personnel arrived and opened fire. At least 35 people were killed.
Two days later, Xinhua said, more than 100 terrorists provoked riots in the prefecture of Hotan, attacking people after gathering at local religious venues.
Last Friday a US State Department spokesman said it was deeply concerned about ongoing reports of discrimination against and restrictions on Uygurs in China.
He said the US urged a transparent investigation but did not want to draw broader conclusions about the incidents.
The state-run Global Times criticised Western media and public opinion on Monday for misrepresenting the violence as ethnic conflict, referring to violent terrorism fuelled by the West.
Western public opinion is fooling these ignorant extremists through cheap support, the paper said in an editorial.
This indulges the views of these violent terrorists, who are in fact a small, isolated group, it said.
In a separate article only available in Chinese, the paper accused members of the East Turkestan movement of joining terrorist groups in Syria to fight the government of Bashar al-Assad before returning to Xinjiang to plot attacks.
It cited the case of a man in his 20s recruited by an education and mutual aid association acting as a terrorist training front.
After being sent to Syria, the recruit was ordered back to Xinjiang to raise the level of the struggle there, where he was caught.
The Uygur World Congress hit back at what it called Chinas distorting accusations.
Uygurs live in an outdoor prison, it said in an emailed statement, adding that their resistance had nothing to do with terrorism.
On Saturday, large sections of the Xinjiang capital Urumqi were shut down as military vehicles took to the streets with at least 1,000 personnel from the Peoples Armed Police, part of Chinas armed forces responsible for law enforcement and internal security during peacetime.
Beijings assertive presence on the ground comes ahead of the sensitive anniversary of riots between Uygurs and Chinas ethnic majority Han four years ago.
The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan is also expected to begin next week.
In recent decades many Han Chinese have relocated to Xinjiang, which is rich in coal and gas, provoking friction.
The two communities tend to live in separate neighbourhoods in Urumqi, and a greater security presence could be seen in the Uygur area on Monday.
Paramilitary forces stood in clusters every 100 metres or so around the grand bazaar, and police vehicles drove by occasionally.
Beijing denies repressing Chinas ethnic minorities, who make up less than 10 per cent of the national population and enjoy some preferential policies.
West encouraging Xinjiang
Beijing denies the unrest in the vast region bordering Central Asia which last week left at least 35 people dead is due to ethnic tensions between Uygurs and Chinas majority Han.
It has vowed to crack down on terrorist groups, ordering military exercises ahead of Fridays anniversary of major riots in 2009 that left around 200 dead.
But rights groups for the mostly Muslim Uygurs blame unrest on economic inequality and religious repression, and Washington has raised concerns about discrimination.
The Peoples Daily, a mouthpiece for the ruling Communist Party, slammed the US government and media for what it said was its role in the violence.
For fear of a lack of chaos in China, it said in a commentary, the US was conspiring to direct the calamity of terrorist activities toward China.
Americas double standards on the issue of countering terrorism is no different than incitement and indulgence ... How is this different than those who act as accomplices to terrorism? it said.
It asked if the 9/11 attacks and Boston marathon bombings in April meant Americas ethnic and religious policies also have problems, while rejecting such linkages in China.
The violent terrorist incidents in Xinjiang are not an ethnic issue or a religious issue, it said, calling the massacres of officials and bystanders inhumane.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, knife-wielding mobs attacked police stations and other sites in the town of Lukqun last Wednesday before security personnel arrived and opened fire. At least 35 people were killed.
Two days later, Xinhua said, more than 100 terrorists provoked riots in the prefecture of Hotan, attacking people after gathering at local religious venues.
Last Friday a US State Department spokesman said it was deeply concerned about ongoing reports of discrimination against and restrictions on Uygurs in China.
He said the US urged a transparent investigation but did not want to draw broader conclusions about the incidents.
The state-run Global Times criticised Western media and public opinion on Monday for misrepresenting the violence as ethnic conflict, referring to violent terrorism fuelled by the West.
Western public opinion is fooling these ignorant extremists through cheap support, the paper said in an editorial.
This indulges the views of these violent terrorists, who are in fact a small, isolated group, it said.
In a separate article only available in Chinese, the paper accused members of the East Turkestan movement of joining terrorist groups in Syria to fight the government of Bashar al-Assad before returning to Xinjiang to plot attacks.
It cited the case of a man in his 20s recruited by an education and mutual aid association acting as a terrorist training front.
After being sent to Syria, the recruit was ordered back to Xinjiang to raise the level of the struggle there, where he was caught.
The Uygur World Congress hit back at what it called Chinas distorting accusations.
Uygurs live in an outdoor prison, it said in an emailed statement, adding that their resistance had nothing to do with terrorism.
On Saturday, large sections of the Xinjiang capital Urumqi were shut down as military vehicles took to the streets with at least 1,000 personnel from the Peoples Armed Police, part of Chinas armed forces responsible for law enforcement and internal security during peacetime.
Beijings assertive presence on the ground comes ahead of the sensitive anniversary of riots between Uygurs and Chinas ethnic majority Han four years ago.
The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan is also expected to begin next week.
In recent decades many Han Chinese have relocated to Xinjiang, which is rich in coal and gas, provoking friction.
The two communities tend to live in separate neighbourhoods in Urumqi, and a greater security presence could be seen in the Uygur area on Monday.
Paramilitary forces stood in clusters every 100 metres or so around the grand bazaar, and police vehicles drove by occasionally.
Beijing denies repressing Chinas ethnic minorities, who make up less than 10 per cent of the national population and enjoy some preferential policies.
West encouraging Xinjiang
