China says religious extremism, violence down in restive Xinjiang

BEIJING: Religious extremism is on the wane in the remote and often restive region of Xinjiang, a political adviser claimed on Sunday as Chinese leaders continue to say that development is the key to controlling ethnic tension in the province, the country’s largest.

“Religious extremism has weakened remarkably in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR),” Nurlan Abdumankin, political adviser attending the ongoing session of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) said.

The region over the last few years has seen violence between the Uyghur community and local authorities including the police including large-scale riots. The government tightly controls information coming from the region. Uyghur rights groups say the government’s hardline poli- cies have alienated the community, triggering violence. Many are angry at Beijing’s apparent efforts to stamp-out the unique cultural identities of the Muslim Uyghur community, which has close cultural and language affinity to central Asian states.

Beijing, on the other hand, claims foreign-trained separatists are to blame for the riots and are trying to separate the region from China.

But according to Abdumankin, the situation has changed.

Ethnic unity and religious harmony have been significantly promoted in the region, he said.

He added that the “…central government should further strengthen coordination between Xinjiang and inland provinces in cracking down on extremism and illegal religious activities”.

“The situation in Xinjiang is becoming ever more stable. Local authorities have strengthened their ability to prevent and fight terrorist activity,” said Zhang Chunxian, the Communist Party of China ( CPC) chief at the National People’ s Congress’ China’s rubber-stamp Parliament, session.

“However, Zhang warned that Xinjiang still faces a tough task to maintain stability. The local government will maintain pressure on terrorists, the official news agency, Xinhua said in a report.

The government’s efforts has been to show that it is doing all it can to promote development in the region – and that it is bearing fruit.

The situation in Xinjiang is becoming ever more stable. Local authorities have strengthened their ability to prevent and fight terrorist activity. ZHANG CHUNXIAN, chief, Communist Party of China