China would exploit international outrage over the US attacks to aid its own fight against terrorism, sources in Beijing said.
Increased international co-operation in combatting terrorism could boost the fight against what China considered its 'terrorist problems' caused by Muslim separatists in Xinjiang and separatists in Tibet, the sources said.
'Evil cults', recently identified as another source of terrorism, would face an intensified purge.
Propaganda departments had ordered state media organisations to describe the self-immolation by alleged Falun Gong followers in Tiananmen Square on January 23 as terrorist acts, one source said. The source added that authorities would use the attacks on America to justify its renewed campaign to crush any religious group that posed a threat to the party's leadership.
Beijing fears the emergence of dissidents backed by religious cults and home-grown radical Islamic movements.
Although attacks by Muslim separatists have decreased recently in China, sources said the surge in violence by Islamic militants abroad had still alarmed mainland leaders.
