Terrorism in China

Chinese President Xi Jinping has told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that the two countries should deepen counter-terrorism cooperation, amid Chinese concern about ethnic Uighurs from its Xinjiang region fighting with militants in the Middle East.

China has appointed its first counter-terrorism chief, state media said on Dec. 21, as it wages a controversial campaign to stamp out ethnic violence linked to the western Xinjiang region.

Pakistan has eliminated all members of the Uighur militant group the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) from its territory, but must remain vigilant to ensure they don't return, the country's defence minister said in Beijing on Oct. 18. 

Some of the Uighurs deported to China last week from Thailand had planned to go to Syria and Iraq to carry out jihad, state television said, showing pictures of them being bundled out of an aircraft with black hoods over their heads. 

Turkey has condemned Thailand for forcibly returning to China nearly 100 Uighur migrants who were sheltering in Thailand after escaping alleged Chinese oppression in Xinjiang in the wake of a violent attack against Bangkok's consulate in Istanbul over the deportations.

A terrorist attack in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi, Xinjiang region, has left 31 people dead and over 90 injured.

Authorities say that two vehicles crashed into a market full of people, while at the same time explosive devices were thrown, according to the BBC.