Beijing: China on Tuesday defended its policies on ethnic minorities, saying the violence in Xinjiang that killed nearly 200 people this month was triggered by separatists and not its treatment of Uighurs.
During a televised news conference, the Vice Minister of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission blamed an underground separatist movement of Muslim, Turkic-speaking Uighurs and said China will never tolerate secession in its far western region.
"We know those behind the violence were ... seeking the independence of Xinjiang. To this, I can clearly tell them it will never happen," Wu Shimin said. "We can, however, continue to meet the reasonable demands to improve the lives of all ethnic groups in the Xinjiang region."
Wu said China intends to continue the "success" of its current ethnic policies that focus on the economic development of the rugged Central Asian region — policies that Uighurs say have diluted or repressed their religion, language and culture in favour of the dominant Han ethnic group.
Tensions between the groups led to the country`s worst unrest in decades July 5. The government says 197 people died and more than 1,700 were wounded.
Most of the dead were Han Chinese, though Uighurs say they believe many more of their community were killed in the ensuing government crackdown. Chinese officials this week said police killed 12 people during the rioting — a rare acknowledgment by the government that security forces opened fire.
Liu Wanqing, director of the supervision department of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, said the violence was not due to religious or ethnic tensions.
"It should be said that people of all ethnic groups, including the Uighur people, were victims of the violent crimes. Therefore, we say that this was not an ethnic issue nor an issue of ethnic relations nor does it affect the national unity of our country," he said.
China has repeatedly blamed outside agitators and the influence of the "three evil forces" — extremism, terrorism and separatism. Specifically, it has blamed leading Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer with instigating the protests that led to violence when police stepped in.
In Washington, DC, Kadeer, who lives in exile, has denied it. On Monday, she urged the Obama administration to more strongly condemn what she called China`s continuing crackdown on Uighurs.
Kadeer told reporters that China was still "hunting down" Uighurs involved in the riots.
Bureau Report
