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China steps up operations in Xinjiang | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
China says it will step up its operations in the western Xinjiang region, after days of unrest. | |
State-run media reported that more than 100 people riding motorcycles, some wielding knives, attacked a police station in remote Hotan on Friday. | |
It follows Wednesday's clashes elsewhere in Xinjiang which killed 35. | |
At a meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping, China's leaders resolved to crack down on those responsible for the violence. | |
Senior Communist Party official Yu Zhengsheng said China "would strike hard on violent terrorist attacks," according to state-run Xinhua. | |
Appealing for calm and vigilance from local people at a meeting in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi, Mr Yu said China would impose severe punishment on those taking part in violent crimes. | |
"We will step up the actions to crack down upon terrorist groups and extremist organisations and track the wanted," Mr Yu added. | |
A military exercise took place on the streets of Urumqi on Saturday, according to Agence France-Presse news agency. | A military exercise took place on the streets of Urumqi on Saturday, according to Agence France-Presse news agency. |
The agency reported that large sections of the city centre were shut down as tanks and armed personnel blocked access to streets. | The agency reported that large sections of the city centre were shut down as tanks and armed personnel blocked access to streets. |
China's Global Times, which is owned by the Communist Party, says that security has been beefed up in Xinjiang. | |
Confirming reports from the region is difficult because information is tightly controlled. | Confirming reports from the region is difficult because information is tightly controlled. |
Ethnic divisions | Ethnic divisions |
Xinjiang has seen sporadic outbreaks of violence fuelled by ethnic tensions. | Xinjiang has seen sporadic outbreaks of violence fuelled by ethnic tensions. |
The Muslim Uighur community makes up about 45% of the population in the region, which borders central Asia. Many Uighurs feel that an influx of Han Chinese has left them and their culture marginalised. | The Muslim Uighur community makes up about 45% of the population in the region, which borders central Asia. Many Uighurs feel that an influx of Han Chinese has left them and their culture marginalised. |
The latest unrest comes ahead of the fourth anniversary of rioting in Urumqi, in which almost 200 people died. | |
The BBC's former Beijing correspondent, Michael Bristow, says Chinese officials use the label "terrorist" for most opponents in Xinjiang. | |
Many think the real cause for the region's sporadic unrest is Beijing's heavy-handed treatment of the ethnic Uighurs, he says. |