Terrorism in China
Encyclopedia
Terrorism in China often involves Muslim separatist militants in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and other locations with large Muslim
populations. To a lesser extent, terrorist acts have occurred in Tibet in disputes between clergy.
The Chinese Ministry of Public Security
has identified four "Eastern Turkistan" organizations as "terrorist".
including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement
(ETIM) and Turkestan Islamic Party.
issued a list of banned terrorist organizations on 15 December 2003. Organizations the government has banned include the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement, the East Turkestan Liberation Organization
, the World Uygur Youth Congress, and the Eastern Turkistan Information.
The eleven terrorists the ministry identified are Hasan Mahsum
, Muhanmetemin Hazret, Dolkun Isa
, Abudujelili Kalakash, Abudukadir Yapuquan, Abudumijit Muhammatkelim, Abudula Kariaji, Abulimit Turxun, Huadaberdi Haxerbik, Yasen Muhammat, and Atahan Abuduhani.
, Xinjiang
, China
, the two on the buses of line 2 and line 30 exploded. The incidents led to at least the death of 3, and injury of 23.
, capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region
. Four major attacks were acknowledged, although unofficial sources reported more. The attacks generally targeted and successfully wounded people, while Tibetan bombs in 1995 targeted buildings, such as the obelisk
on the Qinghai-Tibet highway
. On January 13, a Tibetan Buddhist
monk exploded a homemade bomb at a shop owned by Han Chinese
. Five days later on January 18, the house of Sengchen Lobsang Gyaltsen, the head lama
of the Panchen Lama
's Tashilhunpo Monastery, was bombed. Gyaltsen had opposed the 14th Dalai Lama
to ordain Gyaincain Norbu in the 11th Panchen Lama controversy
. He was out of his house at the time of the explosion, but a person nearby was "seriously injured", according to the South China Morning Post
. No group claimed responsibility for the bombings, but China blamed forces loyal to the Dalai Lama. On March 18, a bomb exploded at the regional government and local Communist Party
compound. The government temporarily shut down tourism in Tibet in response. China initially denied all of the blasts, but later attributed them to separatists. The final blast of the year was detonated by remote control at 1:30 AM on Christmas
day, in front of the central Lhasa municipal government offices. Five people were injured, including two night watchmen and three shopkeepers. The official Radio Tibet called the blast "an appalling act of terrorism", and the Chinese government offered a $120,000 reward for the perpetrator. Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region Gyamco called on residents to "heighten our alertness and strengthen preventive measures".
: On 25 February 1997 three bombs exploded in Urumqi. The bombs were set on the three buses (line 10, line 44, and line 2), and made the death of 9, (including the death of 3 children at least), and injury of 74.
Another bomb in the south railway station (the main station in Urumqi) didn't explode.
(ETIM) training camp in Akto County
in the Pamirs plateau near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan on January 5, 2007.
A spokesperson for the Xinjiang Public Security Department
said that 18 terror suspects were killed and 17 captured. The raid also resulted in the death of one Chinese police officer and the injury of another. Authorities confiscated hand grenades, guns, and makeshift explosives from the site.
separatist groups that wished to raise world attention to their cause during the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing. Information about attacks during the games were difficult to obtain, as officials would not speak to the foreign press and local media neglected to report certain incidents.
that they had successfully thwarted a terrorist attack targeting the 2008 Summer Olympics
by Muslim separatists from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
A China Southern Airlines
plane was forced to land on March 9, 2008 because "some people were attempting to create an air disaster". The flight had taken off from Urumqi
, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The militants' aircraft hijacking
attempt was foiled by the flight attendant
s.
on August 4, suspected ETIM militants drove a truck into a group of jogging policemen, got out of the truck, and then lobbed grenades at the officers, killing 16 people.
On August 8, another video was released showing "a masked man with a rifle" threatening further attacks and advising Uyghurs to "avoid public transport during the Olympics". On August 10, Muslim separatist suicide pipe bomb
ers made a dozen coordinated attacks on police stations, government offices, and businesses in Kuqa, Xinjiang, killing 11 people. The attacks began at 2:30 a.m. when five assailants drove taxis into the local public security
and industry and commerce
buildings. The Communist Party chief in Xinjiang called the attack a "terrorist act" and suspected ETIM responsible.
On August 12, Uyghur separatists killed three security officers in a stabbing in Yamanya, near Kashgar
in Xinjiang. With the latest attack, the cumulative death toll during the Olympic Games was 31. On August 13, public security authorities in Hubei
foiled an attempted bus bombing. According to the BBC
, explosives are difficult to regulate in China because of the small coal mines around the country. On August 17, 2008, a truck suddenly exploded and caught fire at the Baimiao Security Checkpoint in Beijing
. 20 people were rushed to hospital and state media and officials have refused to comment, although possibility of a terrorist attack "has not been ruled out".
On August 29, 2008, police investigating a violent crime were ambushed and stabbed in the corn fields of Jiashi, Xinjiang
. Two police died and five were injured. One day later in the city of Harbin
, a public bus suddenly exploded, wounding two people. Although officials confirmed the incident to BBC Monitoring
, no Chinese media reported the story, leading the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
to accuse the Chinese government of suppressing information about terrorist incidents.
in the city of Aksu, Xinjiang, killing 8 and wounding 15. Officials categorized this attack as falling under the "three forces
" of separatists, extremists and terrorists.
men stormed a police station
in the city of Hotan and killed two security guards by stabbing and lobbing molotov cocktail
s. They occupied the police station, took eight hostages, and smashed and set fire to the police station. Shouting slogans and unfurling banners with Jihadi writing, they refused to peacefully negotiate and engaged in a firefight with police. The attack ended within 90 minutes when police shot 14 attackers dead. Authorities detained four attackers and rescued six hostages, but were unable to save two. A regional spokesperson called the incident "a long-planned, unprovoked, terrorist attack" by "religious extremists". Authorities have discovered the membership of two of the 18 men in an ETIM-led group and the ETIM later claimed responsibility for the attack.
on July 30 and 31. On the first day, two Uyghur men hijacked a truck, ran it into a crowded street, and started stabbing people, killing nine, until they were overpowered by the crowd, who killed one attacker. On the second day, the premature explosion of two car bomb
s intended for a dapanji
restaurant killed four people. The 12 would-be car-bombers abandoned their original plan and instead stormed the restaurant with knives, killing 13 people. A firefight ensued with police capturing the group and killing seven attackers. ETIM later claimed responsibility for the attack, confirming that one of the suspects who escaped (but was later shot by police) had received training in ETIM camps in Pakistan.
and Kyrgyz
governments increased security along their borders with each other and Tajikistan
on 11 January 2007 after Chinese government officials expressed concern that "international terrorists" were traveling through Xinjiang
and Central Asia to carry out attacks. The warning followed a high-profile raid on a training camp in Akto County
, Xinjiang
run by East Turkestan Islamic Movement
members. General Sadyrbek Dubanayev, deputy chief of Kyrgyzstan's border guards, said, "After the announcement of the special operation by the Chinese side, we briefed everyone [security authorities on the Kyrgyz side] and then Kyrgyzstan and China decided to increase security along the border."
said on 22 January 2007, "China appreciates Afghanistan
's valuable support on such issues concerning China's core interests as Taiwan
, human rights
and fighting 'East Turkestan' terrorists." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Jianchao said, "There should not be double standards in counterterrorism. At the same time, no country wants to see another Al Qaeda in China."
Chinese President
Hu Jintao
led a 150-person delegation to Kazakhstan on 2 July 2005 after visiting Moscow
, Russia for four days. The Chinese Government issued a press release saying the Chinese-Kazakh energy and security "relationship deepens constantly." Upon arriving Hu met with President Nazarbayev in an official ceremony. They discussed anti-terrorism, energy, and transportation.
The Governments of China and Kazakhstan held an anti-terror drill, known as the "Tian-Shan-1-2006" drill, from 24 -26 August 2006, starting in Almaty
, Kazakhstan and ending in Xinjiang
, China through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
. The drill is the first time China and Kazakhstan have held anti-terrorism maneuvers. The Collective Security Treaty Organization held exercises in the Caspian Sea
simultaneously.
The simulation lasted for three days and involved Kazakh forces from border patrol, the Interior Ministry, and the Emergency Situations Ministry, and Chinese law enforcement forces and security services. 700 police officials used armed helicopters and anti-riot vehicles to force the 'enemy' into a narrow valley along the border of Kazakhstan and Xinjiang, China after rescuing 'hostages'. About 100 observers from other SCO nation-members attended the exercises. The first day of exercises began in Almaty and ended in Yining, a city in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
. When officials of Radio Free Europe
contacted the Foreign and Defense Ministries of both nations, inquiring about the exercises, Islam Dosmailuly, a spokesman for Kazakhstan's National Security Committee
, told them he did not "know if [the exercises] will [take place] or not. I'm waiting for information. If [the information] gets here, we'll certainly comment on it. But, for now, I have no information." Xinhua reported that the policemen practiced freeing hostages.
Some analysts said the simulation practiced securing the Atasu-Alashankou pipeline, which sends petroleum from Kazakhstan to refineries in Xinjiang. Kazakhstan sends about 3.5 million tons through the pipeline annually and wants to increase output to 20 million tons.
Konstantin Syroyezhkin, a senior analyst at Kazakhstan's Strategic Studies and Research Institute, said "there are many common threats and these are [well-known] already. There is drug trafficking, [illegal] immigration
, and religious extremism and political extremism. There are a number of threats. And these are counter-terrorism exercises, [against] international terrorism. Why should they not hold them? Look, there's a mess in Afghanistan; there must be some mutual cooperation in that matter. And anyway, it is not the first time they have held such exercises. Last year, or before last year, it was organized as a planned maneuver, there is nothing suspicious about that." Kazakhstan has held joint counter-terrorism exercises with NATO under the Partnership for Peace
program and the Collective Security Treaty Organization
. Meng Hongwei, Chinese Vice-Minister of Public Security and commander of the Chinese troops for the drill, warned that the "three evil forces" of terrorism
, separatism
and extremism
and increasing cross-border drug trafficking were affecting the region. Vice-Minister Hongwei said, "the exercise will help establish the SCO's active role in maintaining regional security and stability." SCO nation-members plan to hold another another series of anti-terrorism exercises in Russia in 2007. Vladimir Boshko, first vice-chairman of the Committee of the National Security of Kazakhstan, said the drill would improve anti-terror cooperation among SCO nation-members.
s of China
, India
, and Russia
meeting in Hyderabad House
, Delhi
, India to discuss terrorism
, drug trafficking, reform of the United Nations
, and the security situations in Afghanistan
, Iran
, Iraq
, and North Korea
.
The Indian Foreign Ministry released a statement on behalf of all three governments saying, "We shared our thoughts on the political, economic and security aspects of the global situation, the present world order and recent developments in various areas of mutual concern. We agreed that co-operation rather than confrontation should govern approaches to regional and global affairs. There was coincidence of views against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and on the need to address financing of terrorism and its linkages with narco-trafficking."
, Pakistan's intelligence service, through bilateral diplomacy to control the violence. After the September 11 attacks, governments began dealing with terrorists in a more public way, but China's previous secretive stance caused its revelation of the violence in Xinjiang to be viewed with extreme skepticism by international human rights groups, such as Amnesty International
who dismissed China's reports as a pretext "to suppress all forms of political or religious dissent [in Xinjiang]".
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
populations. To a lesser extent, terrorist acts have occurred in Tibet in disputes between clergy.
The Chinese Ministry of Public Security
Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Public Security , is the principal police and security authority of the mainland of the People's Republic of China and the government agency that exercises oversight over and is ultimately responsible for day-to-day law enforcement...
has identified four "Eastern Turkistan" organizations as "terrorist".
History
Terrorism in China is rare and mainly attributed to Xinjiang separatistsEast Turkestan independence movement
The East Turkestan independence movement is a broad term that refers to advocates of an independent, self-governing East Turkestan in the region now known as Xinjiang, an autonomous region in the People's Republic of China.-Historical background:...
including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement
East Turkestan Islamic Movement
The East Turkestan Islamic Movement The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) (also known as the Turkistan Islamic Movement (TIM), and other names; is a Waziri based mujahideen organization. Its stated goals are the independence of East Turkestan and the...
(ETIM) and Turkestan Islamic Party.
Banned organizations
The Ministry of Public SecurityMinistry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Public Security , is the principal police and security authority of the mainland of the People's Republic of China and the government agency that exercises oversight over and is ultimately responsible for day-to-day law enforcement...
issued a list of banned terrorist organizations on 15 December 2003. Organizations the government has banned include the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement, the East Turkestan Liberation Organization
East Turkestan Liberation Organization
The East Turkestan Liberation Organization is a secessionist Uyghur organization that advocates an independent state called "East Turkestan" in the Western Chinese territory known as Xinjiang...
, the World Uygur Youth Congress, and the Eastern Turkistan Information.
The eleven terrorists the ministry identified are Hasan Mahsum
Hasan Mahsum
Hasan Mahsum, also known as Abu-Muhammad al-Turkestani and Ashan Sumut, was the founder and leader of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, considered an Islamic terrorist organization by China and the US and suspected of having ties with Al Qaeda....
, Muhanmetemin Hazret, Dolkun Isa
Dolkun Isa
Dolkun Isa is a noted Uyghur activist from the region of Xinjiang of northwestern China, also known as East Turkestan. He has spoken on behalf of the rights of the largely Islamic minority which makes up the majority population in that region. The government's of China as well as the current KMT...
, Abudujelili Kalakash, Abudukadir Yapuquan, Abudumijit Muhammatkelim, Abudula Kariaji, Abulimit Turxun, Huadaberdi Haxerbik, Yasen Muhammat, and Atahan Abuduhani.
1992
On February 5, 1992, among the four bombs set in public buildings in UrumqiÜrümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
, Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, the two on the buses of line 2 and line 30 exploded. The incidents led to at least the death of 3, and injury of 23.
Lhasa bombings
In 1996, there were a series of bombing incidents in LhasaLhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
. Four major attacks were acknowledged, although unofficial sources reported more. The attacks generally targeted and successfully wounded people, while Tibetan bombs in 1995 targeted buildings, such as the obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
on the Qinghai-Tibet highway
China National Highway 109
China National Highway 109 connects Beijing with Lhasa. It runs westwards of Beijing via Datong, Yinchuan and Xining to Golmud before turning southwest to Lhasa...
. On January 13, a Tibetan Buddhist
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
monk exploded a homemade bomb at a shop owned by Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
. Five days later on January 18, the house of Sengchen Lobsang Gyaltsen, the head lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
of the Panchen Lama
Panchen Lama
The Panchen Lama , or Bainqên Erdê'ni , is the highest ranking Lama after the Dalai Lama in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism...
's Tashilhunpo Monastery, was bombed. Gyaltsen had opposed the 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...
to ordain Gyaincain Norbu in the 11th Panchen Lama controversy
11th Panchen Lama controversy
The 11th Panchen Lama controversy is a dispute about the current legitimate holder of the Panchen Lama title, a political and religious leadership position in Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism. After the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, a dispute between the Chinese leadership and the exiled 14th Dalai...
. He was out of his house at the time of the explosion, but a person nearby was "seriously injured", according to the South China Morning Post
South China Morning Post
The South China Morning Post , together with its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is an English-language Hong Kong newspaper, published by the SCMP Group with a circulation of 104,000....
. No group claimed responsibility for the bombings, but China blamed forces loyal to the Dalai Lama. On March 18, a bomb exploded at the regional government and local Communist Party
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
compound. The government temporarily shut down tourism in Tibet in response. China initially denied all of the blasts, but later attributed them to separatists. The final blast of the year was detonated by remote control at 1:30 AM on Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
day, in front of the central Lhasa municipal government offices. Five people were injured, including two night watchmen and three shopkeepers. The official Radio Tibet called the blast "an appalling act of terrorism", and the Chinese government offered a $120,000 reward for the perpetrator. Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region Gyamco called on residents to "heighten our alertness and strengthen preventive measures".
1997
Urumqi bus bombsUrumqi bus bombs
Three bombs exploded in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China at 18h30 February 25, 1997.The bombs were set on the three buses . Nine people were killed including at least three children...
: On 25 February 1997 three bombs exploded in Urumqi. The bombs were set on the three buses (line 10, line 44, and line 2), and made the death of 9, (including the death of 3 children at least), and injury of 74.
Another bomb in the south railway station (the main station in Urumqi) didn't explode.
Xinjiang raid
Chinese police raided a suspected East Turkestan Islamic MovementEast Turkestan Islamic Movement
The East Turkestan Islamic Movement The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) (also known as the Turkistan Islamic Movement (TIM), and other names; is a Waziri based mujahideen organization. Its stated goals are the independence of East Turkestan and the...
(ETIM) training camp in Akto County
Akto County
The Akto County is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and is under the administration of the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture. It contains an area of 24,107 km2...
in the Pamirs plateau near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan on January 5, 2007.
A spokesperson for the Xinjiang Public Security Department
Public Security Bureau
In the People's Republic of China, a public security bureau refers to the government offices while the smaller offices are called Police posts which are similar in concept to the Japanese Kōban system) present in each province and municipality that handles policing , public security, and...
said that 18 terror suspects were killed and 17 captured. The raid also resulted in the death of one Chinese police officer and the injury of another. Authorities confiscated hand grenades, guns, and makeshift explosives from the site.
2008
2008 was especially marred by violence by UyghurUyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
separatist groups that wished to raise world attention to their cause during the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing. Information about attacks during the games were difficult to obtain, as officials would not speak to the foreign press and local media neglected to report certain incidents.
March
On March 9, 2008 Chinese officials told the state-run Xinhua News AgencyXinhua News Agency
The Xinhua News Agency is the official press agency of the government of the People's Republic of China and the biggest center for collecting information and press conferences in the PRC. It is the largest news agency in the PRC, ahead of the China News Service...
that they had successfully thwarted a terrorist attack targeting the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
by Muslim separatists from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
A China Southern Airlines
China Southern Airlines
China Southern Airlines is an airline headquartered in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China. It is the world's sixth-largest airline measured by passengers carried, and Asia's largest airline in terms of both fleet size and passengers carried...
plane was forced to land on March 9, 2008 because "some people were attempting to create an air disaster". The flight had taken off from Urumqi
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The militants' aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
attempt was foiled by the flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
s.
August
On August 1, the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) posted a video on the internet, named "Call to the Global Muslim Ummah", calling on Muslims to "choose your side", not travel with Chinese, and support the TIP. Chinese officials downplayed the threat of terrorism. In the 2008 Kashgar attack2008 Kashgar attack
The 2008 Kashgar attack was a terrorist attack perpetrated by two men on the morning of August 4, 2008, who attacked a group of police officers while they were jogging near the western city of Kashgar, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, resulting in the death of sixteen...
on August 4, suspected ETIM militants drove a truck into a group of jogging policemen, got out of the truck, and then lobbed grenades at the officers, killing 16 people.
On August 8, another video was released showing "a masked man with a rifle" threatening further attacks and advising Uyghurs to "avoid public transport during the Olympics". On August 10, Muslim separatist suicide pipe bomb
Pipe bomb
A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device, a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively large explosion, and the fragmentation of the pipe itself creates potentially...
ers made a dozen coordinated attacks on police stations, government offices, and businesses in Kuqa, Xinjiang, killing 11 people. The attacks began at 2:30 a.m. when five assailants drove taxis into the local public security
Public Security Bureau
In the People's Republic of China, a public security bureau refers to the government offices while the smaller offices are called Police posts which are similar in concept to the Japanese Kōban system) present in each province and municipality that handles policing , public security, and...
and industry and commerce
State Administration for Industry and Commerce
The State Administration for Industry and Commerce is the authority in the People's Republic of China responsible for drafting and putting new legislation concerning the administration of industry and commerce in the People's Republic...
buildings. The Communist Party chief in Xinjiang called the attack a "terrorist act" and suspected ETIM responsible.
On August 12, Uyghur separatists killed three security officers in a stabbing in Yamanya, near Kashgar
Kashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
in Xinjiang. With the latest attack, the cumulative death toll during the Olympic Games was 31. On August 13, public security authorities in Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
foiled an attempted bus bombing. According to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, explosives are difficult to regulate in China because of the small coal mines around the country. On August 17, 2008, a truck suddenly exploded and caught fire at the Baimiao Security Checkpoint in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. 20 people were rushed to hospital and state media and officials have refused to comment, although possibility of a terrorist attack "has not been ruled out".
On August 29, 2008, police investigating a violent crime were ambushed and stabbed in the corn fields of Jiashi, Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
. Two police died and five were injured. One day later in the city of Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, a public bus suddenly exploded, wounding two people. Although officials confirmed the incident to BBC Monitoring
BBC Monitoring
BBC Monitoring is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation which monitors, and reports on, mass media worldwide. Based at Caversham Park in Caversham, Reading in southern England, it has a number of overseas bureaux including Moscow, Nairobi, Kiev, Baku, Tashkent, Cairo, Tbilisi, Yerevan...
, no Chinese media reported the story, leading the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
The Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy is a human rights organization based in Hong Kong that provides information human rights abuses in mainland China for news outlets...
to accuse the Chinese government of suppressing information about terrorist incidents.
Aksu bombing
On August 19, 2010, three people drove a three-wheeled vehicle into a crowd2010 Aksu bombing
The 2010 Aksu bombing was a bombing in Aksu, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China that resulted in at least seven deaths and fourteen injuries when a Uyghur man detonated explosives in a crowd of police and paramilitary guards at about 10:30 on 19 August, using a three-wheeled vehicle. The...
in the city of Aksu, Xinjiang, killing 8 and wounding 15. Officials categorized this attack as falling under the "three forces
Three Evils
The Three Evils are "terrorism, separatism and religious extremism". The phrase is frequently used when referring to counter-terrorism operations undertaken by China, the Central Asian republics, and Russia....
" of separatists, extremists and terrorists.
Hotan attack
18 people died when 18 young UyghurUyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
men stormed a police station
2011 Hotan attack
The 2011 Hotan attack was a series of coordinated bomb and knife attacks that occurred in Hotan, Xinjiang, China on July 18, 2011. According to witnesses, the assailants were a group of 18 young Uyghur men who opposed the local government's campaign against the full-face Islamic veil, which had...
in the city of Hotan and killed two security guards by stabbing and lobbing molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
s. They occupied the police station, took eight hostages, and smashed and set fire to the police station. Shouting slogans and unfurling banners with Jihadi writing, they refused to peacefully negotiate and engaged in a firefight with police. The attack ended within 90 minutes when police shot 14 attackers dead. Authorities detained four attackers and rescued six hostages, but were unable to save two. A regional spokesperson called the incident "a long-planned, unprovoked, terrorist attack" by "religious extremists". Authorities have discovered the membership of two of the 18 men in an ETIM-led group and the ETIM later claimed responsibility for the attack.
Kashgar attacks
23 people died in additional terrorist attacks in the city of KashgarKashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
on July 30 and 31. On the first day, two Uyghur men hijacked a truck, ran it into a crowded street, and started stabbing people, killing nine, until they were overpowered by the crowd, who killed one attacker. On the second day, the premature explosion of two car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
s intended for a dapanji
Dapanji
300px|thumb|right|A plate of dapanji as served in [[Urumqi]]Dapanji is a popular dish in Xinjiang, China.- Etymology and preparation :...
restaurant killed four people. The 12 would-be car-bombers abandoned their original plan and instead stormed the restaurant with knives, killing 13 people. A firefight ensued with police capturing the group and killing seven attackers. ETIM later claimed responsibility for the attack, confirming that one of the suspects who escaped (but was later shot by police) had received training in ETIM camps in Pakistan.
Border cooperation
The ChineseGovernment of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
and Kyrgyz
Politics of Kyrgyzstan
The Politics of Kyrgyzstan takes place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the President is head of state and the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan is head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government...
governments increased security along their borders with each other and Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
on 11 January 2007 after Chinese government officials expressed concern that "international terrorists" were traveling through Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
and Central Asia to carry out attacks. The warning followed a high-profile raid on a training camp in Akto County
Akto County
The Akto County is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and is under the administration of the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture. It contains an area of 24,107 km2...
, Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
run by East Turkestan Islamic Movement
East Turkestan Islamic Movement
The East Turkestan Islamic Movement The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) (also known as the Turkistan Islamic Movement (TIM), and other names; is a Waziri based mujahideen organization. Its stated goals are the independence of East Turkestan and the...
members. General Sadyrbek Dubanayev, deputy chief of Kyrgyzstan's border guards, said, "After the announcement of the special operation by the Chinese side, we briefed everyone [security authorities on the Kyrgyz side] and then Kyrgyzstan and China decided to increase security along the border."
Afghanistan
Chinese Communist Party leader Jia QinglinJia Qinglin
Jia Qinglin is a senior leader of the People's Republic of China. He is the fourth ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Chairman and Party secretary of the National Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference. Jia's functions as...
said on 22 January 2007, "China appreciates Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
's valuable support on such issues concerning China's core interests as Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and fighting 'East Turkestan' terrorists." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Jianchao said, "There should not be double standards in counterterrorism. At the same time, no country wants to see another Al Qaeda in China."
Kazakhstan
The Government of Kazakhstan has consistently extradited Uyghur terrorist suspects to China and in 2006 participated in a large-scale, joint counter-terrorism drill.Chinese President
President of the People's Republic of China
The President of the People's Republic of China is a ceremonial office and a part of State organs under the National People's Congress and it is the head of state of the People's Republic of China . The office was created by the 1982 Constitution...
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao
Hu Jintao is the current Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China. He has held the titles of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China since 2002, President of the People's Republic of China since 2003, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission since 2004, succeeding Jiang...
led a 150-person delegation to Kazakhstan on 2 July 2005 after visiting Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia for four days. The Chinese Government issued a press release saying the Chinese-Kazakh energy and security "relationship deepens constantly." Upon arriving Hu met with President Nazarbayev in an official ceremony. They discussed anti-terrorism, energy, and transportation.
The Governments of China and Kazakhstan held an anti-terror drill, known as the "Tian-Shan-1-2006" drill, from 24 -26 August 2006, starting in Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
, Kazakhstan and ending in Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, China through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
Shanghai Cooperation Organization
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or SCO , is an intergovernmental mutual-security organisation which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan...
. The drill is the first time China and Kazakhstan have held anti-terrorism maneuvers. The Collective Security Treaty Organization held exercises in the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
simultaneously.
The simulation lasted for three days and involved Kazakh forces from border patrol, the Interior Ministry, and the Emergency Situations Ministry, and Chinese law enforcement forces and security services. 700 police officials used armed helicopters and anti-riot vehicles to force the 'enemy' into a narrow valley along the border of Kazakhstan and Xinjiang, China after rescuing 'hostages'. About 100 observers from other SCO nation-members attended the exercises. The first day of exercises began in Almaty and ended in Yining, a city in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture , in northernmost Xinjiang, is the only Kazakh autonomous prefecture of the People's Republic of China.-Geography and coordinates:The following figures excludes both Tacheng Prefecture and Altay Prefecture....
. When officials of Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
contacted the Foreign and Defense Ministries of both nations, inquiring about the exercises, Islam Dosmailuly, a spokesman for Kazakhstan's National Security Committee
National Security Committee
The National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan is an intelligence agency in Kazakhstan. It was founded on 13 July 1992.-History:...
, told them he did not "know if [the exercises] will [take place] or not. I'm waiting for information. If [the information] gets here, we'll certainly comment on it. But, for now, I have no information." Xinhua reported that the policemen practiced freeing hostages.
Some analysts said the simulation practiced securing the Atasu-Alashankou pipeline, which sends petroleum from Kazakhstan to refineries in Xinjiang. Kazakhstan sends about 3.5 million tons through the pipeline annually and wants to increase output to 20 million tons.
Konstantin Syroyezhkin, a senior analyst at Kazakhstan's Strategic Studies and Research Institute, said "there are many common threats and these are [well-known] already. There is drug trafficking, [illegal] immigration
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
, and religious extremism and political extremism. There are a number of threats. And these are counter-terrorism exercises, [against] international terrorism. Why should they not hold them? Look, there's a mess in Afghanistan; there must be some mutual cooperation in that matter. And anyway, it is not the first time they have held such exercises. Last year, or before last year, it was organized as a planned maneuver, there is nothing suspicious about that." Kazakhstan has held joint counter-terrorism exercises with NATO under the Partnership for Peace
Partnership for Peace
Partnership for Peace is a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation program aimed at creating trust between NATO and other states in Europe and the former Soviet Union; 22 States are members...
program and the Collective Security Treaty Organization
Collective Security Treaty Organization
The Collective Security Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military alliance which was signed on 15 May 1992. On 7 October 2002, the Presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed a charter in Tashkent founding the CSTO.Nikolai Bordyuzha was appointed...
. Meng Hongwei, Chinese Vice-Minister of Public Security and commander of the Chinese troops for the drill, warned that the "three evil forces" of terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, separatism
Separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
and extremism
Extremism
Extremism is any ideology or political act far outside the perceived political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common moral standards...
and increasing cross-border drug trafficking were affecting the region. Vice-Minister Hongwei said, "the exercise will help establish the SCO's active role in maintaining regional security and stability." SCO nation-members plan to hold another another series of anti-terrorism exercises in Russia in 2007. Vladimir Boshko, first vice-chairman of the Committee of the National Security of Kazakhstan, said the drill would improve anti-terror cooperation among SCO nation-members.
India
The Delhi summit on security took place on February 14, 2007 with the foreign ministerForeign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
s of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
meeting in Hyderabad House
Hyderabad House
Hyderabad House earlier known as Palace of the Nizam of Hyderabad is a former princely residence of Osman Ali Khan, Nizam VII located at New Delhi. This house was built in 1926 by eminent architect Edwin Lutyens. It was the Delhi palace for the last Nizam of Hyderabad state.It is currently used...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, India to discuss terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, drug trafficking, reform of the United Nations
Reform of the United Nations
Since the late 1990s there have been many calls for reform of the United Nations . However, there is little clarity or consensus about what reform might mean in practice. Both those who want the UN to play a greater role in world affairs and those who want its role confined to humanitarian work or...
, and the security situations in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, and North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
.
The Indian Foreign Ministry released a statement on behalf of all three governments saying, "We shared our thoughts on the political, economic and security aspects of the global situation, the present world order and recent developments in various areas of mutual concern. We agreed that co-operation rather than confrontation should govern approaches to regional and global affairs. There was coincidence of views against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and on the need to address financing of terrorism and its linkages with narco-trafficking."
Criticism
Traditionally, China has downplayed the level of terrorist violence in China and especially in Xinjiang, working with the states or organizations that patronized militants, such as the Taliban in Xinjiang, which had received support from the Inter-Services IntelligenceInter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
, Pakistan's intelligence service, through bilateral diplomacy to control the violence. After the September 11 attacks, governments began dealing with terrorists in a more public way, but China's previous secretive stance caused its revelation of the violence in Xinjiang to be viewed with extreme skepticism by international human rights groups, such as Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
who dismissed China's reports as a pretext "to suppress all forms of political or religious dissent [in Xinjiang]".
See also
- Terrorism in Central AsiaTerrorism in Central AsiaTerrorism in Central Asia is largely a cross-border phenomenon. The source of most terrorists and terrorist organizations that operate in Central Asia is Afghanistan due to the former presence of the Taliban, and the Ferghana Valley due to the Tajik Civil War.1...
- Terrorism in RussiaTerrorism in RussiaTerrorism in Russia has a long history starting from the times of the Russian Empire. Terrorism, in the modern sense, means violence against civilians to achieve political or ideological objectives by creating fear...
- 5 February 1992 Urumqi Bombings5 February 1992 Urumqi BombingsOn 5 February 1992, among four bombs set in public buildings in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, two on the buses of line 2 and line 30 exploded. The incidents resulted in 3 deaths, and injuries to 23 people.-Background:...
- Crime in the People's Republic of ChinaCrime in the People's Republic of ChinaCrime is present in various forms in the People's Republic of China. Common forms of crime include drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, human trafficking, corruption, black marketeering, and circulation of fake currencies.-History:...
External links
- NAPSNet Daily Report Northeast Asia Peace and Security Network
- Senior Chinese official issues Bush rebuke
- China's terror list and its implications
- Explosions in Xinjiang
- Pakistan hands over Muslim separatist leader-China
- Al-Qaeda's China problem
- China's Post 9/11 Terrorism Strategy
- Five Lessons from China's War on Terror
- Violent Separatism in Xinjiang