China angered by US criticism of anti-terror fight in Xinjiang
Hundreds have died in unrest Beijing blames on Islamist militants and separatists
China asked the United States on Friday to respect the fight against what Beijing says are militants in Xinjiang after Washington expressed concern about the lack of transparency in China’s anti-terror campaign.
Hundreds have died in recent years in the restive western region, home to the Muslim Uygur people, in unrest blamed by Beijing on Islamist militants and separatists, though rights groups say the violence is more a reaction to Beijing’s repressive policies.
Cracking down on ETIM as a representative of East Turkestan terrorist forces is a core concern of China’s
China blames the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) for the unrest, though many experts doubt whether ETIM exists as a cohesive militant group.
The US State Department, in its annual report on terrorism around the world, said there was a lack of transparency or information from China about incidents Beijing called terrorism, and said counter-terrorism cooperation was limited.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China was “dissatisfied” with what she said were inaccurate remarks about China, and expressed regret at the “unobjective evaluation” of counter-terrorism cooperation.
