A top official of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC)- a paramilitary organisation set up to consolidate Communist Party control and guard the border 58 years ago- has warned of rising volatility in the frontier region and vowed to step up efforts to maintain stability.
The remark by Che Jun, the political commissar of the XPCC, came on Thursday after a series of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang in past months. He also warned that there was increasing risk of religious extremists infiltrating the paramilitary group mainly dominated by Han.
The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region covers almost 1.7 million square kilometres and shares borders with eight predominantly Muslim nations.
'There are more factors of instability and uncertainty near [Xinjiang] and there is mounting pressure to maintain long-term harmony and stability,' Che warned at a meeting on Thursday.
This is the second time in two weeks that a senior Xinjiang official has raised the prospect of rising instability in the region. Zhang Chunxian , the party chief of Xinjiang, warned last month that 'some important areas in Xinjiang are in a crucial and complex condition'.
Xinjiang has experienced frequent bouts of violence in recent years. The biggest eruption - which claimed at least 200 lives- took place in July 2009.