China: Tensions Ease in Riot-torn Xinjiang

After days of riots in western China, the Chinese regime has brought in tens of thousands of armed troops and police. Now the violence appears to have subsided.

On Wednesday, as many as 20,000 Chinese troops blanketed the streets of China’s western Xinjiang, and by Thursday, the streets were relatively calm. It comes after days of protests left scores, if not hundreds of people, dead in this Uighur minority-dominated region.

After three days of some of the worst ethnic violence China has seen in decades, some residents believe the city is now safe enough to come out onto the streets.

[Resident]:
„I have just walked in through the minority area, because of the soldiers‘ trucks, you cannot drive, so we walked here. It’s very safe. There is no problem.“

Police say they have arrested more than 1,400 suspects in connection with the rioting.

The Chinese Communist Party has vowed to „firmly crack down“ on those responsible. According to the Washington Post, the top Party official in the city of Urumqi, where the violence took place, says they’ll be seeking the death penalty for the perpetrators.

Xinjiang has long been a tightly controlled hotbed of ethnic tension. It’s fostered many things, including an economic gap between Uighurs and Han Chinese, state restrictions on religion, and an influx of migrants who are now the majority in most key cities, including Urumqi.

Despite the challenges, the Communist Party feels it cannot afford to lose its grip on this vast territory, which has abundant oil reserves and is China’s largest natural gas-producing region.

(NTDTV)