President Xi Jinping's visit to Xinjiang may signal new anti-terror laws are coming
President's Xinjiang trip suggests Beijing closer to forming legislation aimed at improving responses to security threats, experts say
President Xi Jinping's call for security to be tightened in restive Xinjiang will likely pave the way for the government to introduce new anti-terrorism laws, according to analysts and observers.
Xi said during his trip to Kashgar this week that the region's security forces were on the front line of combating terrorism and needed the tools and the support to do the job.
Xinjiang has witnessed a spate of violent attacks in recent months that Beijing has blamed on Muslim Uygur separatists.
Respecting the language and religion of Uygurs can lower their suspicions
But Uygur exile groups and human rights organisations have blamed central government policies for stoking tensions in the region by showing a lack of respect towards the ethnic group's culture and religion.
Li Wei, a Beijing-based counter-terrorism expert, said Beijing might introduce anti-terrorism legislation within the year. It would define the powers and responsibilities of different law enforcement agencies and detail when to activate emergency measures.
Anti-terrorism was covered by various mainland laws, but there was a need for a specific code to avoid government bureaucracy hampering an emergency response, Li said. Concerns about delays arose after the attack at the Kunming rail station in Yunnan province on March 1.
According to official media, the rampage by the eight assailants lasted 25 minutes, although a police station was only one kilometre away.
