| A leading government official from Xinjiang is pointing to separatists from outside of China as one of the key reasons for the unrest in the region.
Nur Bekri, chair of the Xinjiang regional government, has made the comments as part of an NPC session.
"But behind a series of separatist activities, there have always been foreign forces committing crimes, foreign forces seeking to advance them. This does not exclude the provocations and hype of people from outside China, people with ulterior motives, people who are unwilling to see a united and strong China led by the Communist Party of China. We will remain on high alert for this."
As part of his speech to lawmakers, Bekri has also promised a harsh crackdown in Xinjiang.
The comments come less than a week after knife-wielding terrorists from Xinjiang killed 29 people and injured 143 in Yunnan's capital, Kunming.
In making the comments Nur Bekri says terrorists do not represent any ethnic group or any religion, suggesting people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang strongly condemn terrorism.
(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2014) | 
