SCO members will join forces to combat terrorism
China has called for intensified intelligence sharing and evidence collecting with Shanghai Cooperation Organization members to prevent Chinese from traveling to the Middle East to receive military training and returning to conduct terrorist attacks.
Chinese prosecutors will enhance law enforcement cooperation with their counterparts in SCO countries, including information exchanges and joint investigation of major and individual cases to crack down on cross-border organized terrorist groups and cut off their sources of funding, said Cao Jianming, prosecutor-general of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate.
In addition, they will work closely on investigating, freezing and confiscating terroristrelated funds, as well as repatriating or extraditing terror suspects to face trial.
Cao made the remarks during the first day of the 14 th Prosecutors-General Conference of SCO members in Sanya, Hainan province, which concludes on Thursday.
In recent years, a rising number of terror suspects from China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have illegally crossed border areas into Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, according to the Ministry of Public Security.
From those countries, the suspects usually travel to Asian or Eastern European countries, including Turkey, to buy fake passports. They then move on to countries, including Syria, to receive military training and conduct terrorist activities either locally or back in China, the ministry said.
Zhakip Assanov, prosecutor-general of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s General Prosecutor’s Office, said that in 2014 more than 2,000 blank Syrian passports were stolen, which would likely be used by such suspects to enter Syria to join local Islamic State group factions.
Cao said the East Turkestan Islamic Movement has been spreading religious extremist ideology in China and teaching terrorists how to conduct attacks.
While the incidence of terrorist attacks has been effectively curbed, “we are still facing some practical challenges, and we must enhance law enforcement cooperation with SCO countries”, he added.
Contact the writers at zhangyan1@ chinadaily.com.cn