In Xinjiang, China’s security chief calls for ‘normalisation of counterterrorism’

On tour of the far western region, Chen Wenqing urges officials to ‘always give top priority to maintaining social stability’
A day after, on Monday, public security ministry says the country hasn’t seen a terrorist attack in more than seven years

China’s Communist Party

Yuanyue Dangin Beijing

Published: 6:30pm, 27 May 2024

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China’s top security official Chen Wenqing has called for the “normalisation” of counterterrorism efforts in Xinjiang, where a crackdown on extremism among Uygurs and other Muslim minorities has been under way for years.

During a visit to the far western region from Wednesday to Sunday, Chen said authorities must “insist on cracking down on terrorist crimes in accordance with the law and make efforts to promote the normalisation of counterterrorism”, state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday.

Chen is a member of the Communist Party’s elite decision-making body the Politburo, and secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, which oversees the country’s law enforcement agencies.

Chen Wenqing told law enforcement officials to “strongly defend border security”. Photo: AFP

In Xinjiang, Chen visited the region’s capital, Urumqi, as well as Kashgar and the Kazakh prefecture of Ili. He urged local officials to “always give top priority to maintaining social stability” and to “accurately prevent and crack down on violent terrorist crimes”, according to Xinhua.

The report said Chen visited Khorgos, a town in Ili on the border with Kazakhstan, and the Tashkurgan Tajik autonomous county in the region’s southwest, which borders Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He told law enforcement officials to “strongly defend border security”.

A day after the visit, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement on Monday that China had not seen a terrorist attack in more than seven years.

Decades of ethnic tensions and unrest in Xinjiang prompted Beijing to impose measures in 2016 that it said were aimed at cracking down on terrorist attacks. But the measures have led to allegations of widespread human rights abuses, including that at least 1 million Uygurs and other Muslim minorities were held in mass internment camps. Beijing denies the claims and has said the centres were for “vocational training”.

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Xinjiang authorities have claimed an “overwhelming victory” over terrorist attacks, but security remains a major concern.

In its annual work report in January, the Xinjiang government stressed that the region would maintain a “tough stance” to safeguard social stability, meaning combating terrorism.

A white paper released by the State Council Information Office the same month praised Xinjiang’s anti-terrorism measures as improvements in China’s legal system over the past decade.

It highlighted Xinjiang’s de-radicalisation regulations, introduced in 2017 and revised in 2018, which list behaviours considered extremist by the authorities including growing an “abnormal” beard and wearing a veil.

In August, President Xi Jinping said “social stability” was a top priority for the region’s authorities when he visited Xinjiang, and he called for more efforts to combat terrorism and religious extremism, as well as stressing the need for economic development.

In recent years, the Xinjiang government has tried to improve its image by touting economic development and inviting foreign media on carefully choreographed tours to promote the region.