Economic ties may put squeeze on separatists

Beijing will strengthen economic ties with Islamic countries as part of its campaign against separatism in the restive region of Xinjiang, according to a leading mainland expert on religious conflicts.

China has alleged that Uygur separatists have established bases in countries such as Turkey, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia. Some have allegedly received training in camps run by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, served with Afghanistan's ousted Taleban regime and fought the Russian military in Chechnya.

'Countries that harbour Xinjiang separatist movements will find it more to their advantage to do business with China than to support those fringe groups,' Wu Yungui, director of the Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview with the South China Morning Post.

Professor Wu said China had stepped up its campaign against terrorism since the September 11 attacks on the United States, although the risk of China becoming the target of a global terrorist offensive should not be exaggerated.

Bin Laden had never openly criticised China or identified it as a potential target, even when Beijing became more involved in anti-terrorist activities, Professor Wu said.

'Bin Laden focuses primarily on the injustice in the Israel-Palestine conflict, which has great resonance in the Islamic world,' he said.

Professor Wu said the terrorist threat in Southeast Asia was unlikely to spread to China's coastal areas, where the Muslim population was small.