Beijing: China has launched a manhunt to capture five Uyghur militants who escaped after the deadly knife attacks in Kunming city and said the global community should speak in one voice against the menace of terrorism.
"The bloody facts are in front of all of us. All the justice upholders around the world have conscience," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a media briefing here today while replying to questions on criticism in China against the US for not terming yesterday`s gruesome attacks as a terrorist act.
Thirty-three people including four militants from the remote Xinjiang province, allegedly members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), were killed and 143 others injured when the militants went on a stabbing spree.
"We believe that in dealing with violent terrorists acts like this the international community should speak with one voice and hold joint action, because the terrorists are common enemies of all mankind," Qin said.
Chinese police meanwhile launched a manhunt to arrest five militants who escaped after the attacks, described as the worst incident of violence in China in recent times.
Stating that preliminary investigations pointed towards the involvement of the al-Qaeda-backed separatist ETIM, Qin said "I want to stress that for the violent terrorist forces, no matter which group was involved Chinese government will severely crackdown on it in accordance with law".
Also, a senior Uyghur general in the Chinese military said China is keeping a strict watch at the Xinjiang border to prevent any infiltration by militants.
Northwestern Xinjiang shares borders with several countries including Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Saimati Muhammat, major general and deputy commander of the Xinjiang Military Area Command, said Xinjiang is at the front line against the infiltration of the "three forces, namely terrorism, extremism and separatism".
The armed forces in Xinjiang will never ease border controls, he told state-run Xinhua news agency.
"We watch the border closely. Any oversight, which lets terrorists in or out, is unacceptable," he said.
Chinese official media also criticised the US and sections of the western media for not terming the Kunming stabbings as a terrorist attack.
