China calls for international support to fight terrorism

BEIJING - Evidence shows that East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) hatched, instigated and conducted terrorist attacks in China via the Internet, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Monday.

The ministry called for international support in China's fight against terrorist forces.

Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing that the ETIM was behind the attack that killed three people and injured 79 others at a train station in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on April 30.

According to police authorities in Xinjiang, the attack was planned by ETIM member Ismail Yusup outside of China. On April 22, he ordered 10 partners in Xinjiang to prepare for the attack.

Investigations show that the main members started to preach Islamic extremism in 2005, she said.

As for comments that restrictions on religious activities by the Chinese government caused terrorist attacks, Hua said such an opinion was "completely wrong".

The Chinese government protects citizens' freedom of religious belief in accordance with the law, said Hua, adding that a religious person in China can enjoy full freedom to carry out normal religious activities in line with the law.

"We are against any link of terrorism with a particular nation or religion," said Hua.

Calling terrorism "a public enemy of humankind," Hua urged the international community to discard double standards and fight against it together.

"We hope the international community can understand and support China's efforts to combat terrorist forces including the ETIM," she said.