China hits back at US criticism of war on terror

(Baonghean.vn) - China has just asked the US to respect Beijing on the issue of counter-terrorism in the Xinjiang region, after Washington expressed concerns about the lack of transparency in China's anti-terrorism campaign.

Image of an anti-terrorism drill in Xinjiang.

Hundreds of people have died in Xinjiang in recent years in violence involving Uighur Muslims.

The cause is believed to be a conflict between Beijing and Muslim separatist militants; however, according to human rights organizations, the violence is more due to terrorism than a reaction to Chinese government policies.

The US State Department said there was a lack of transparency from China about the incident that Beijing called a terrorist attack and limited cooperation against terrorism. This information was given by the US in its annual report on terrorism worldwide.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China was “dissatisfied” with the US accusations, especially the “unbiased assessment” of China’s counter-terrorism cooperation. She responded at a daily press briefing:

“We cannot accept the US statement in the report. These are thoughtless remarks about counter-terrorism policies not only in China but also in other countries.”

In addition, Ms. Hua also said that the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is a major concern for China in its fight against terrorism. China hopes that relevant countries will respect this stance.

The US State Department has also criticized China’s interference in religious beliefs in Xinjiang, such as banning veils for women. The US is concerned that many of the Chinese government’s policies could increase ethnic tensions in Xinjiang and contribute to violent extremism.

China continues to strongly deny allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. As a show of force, the Chinese government said there would be no interference during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on June 6.

Quan Le

(According to Reuters)