China ratifies anti-terror agreement with Tajikistan
Autor:
yahoo.com
(
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Datum:
30/10/2004
De categorie:
Nieuws
China
ratifies anti-terror agreement with Tajikistan
China's legislature has ratified an anti-terrorism treaty with Tajikistan to allow
joint criminal investigations and cooperation between the neighboring countries'
security forces, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.
The agreement, one of four between China and its Central Asian neighbors, promises
to extend Beijing's reach deep into the region in pursuit of accused terrorists
seeking independence for China's northwestern Muslim territory of Xinjiang.
"China itself is a victim of terrorism," Xinhua quoted Vice Foreign
Minister Zhou Wenzhong as telling members of China's legislature, the National
People's Congress, whose standing committee ratified the treaty on Wednesday.
The Xinjiang independence movement is "one of the major threats to China
in Central Asia," Zhou said. He accused the movement of having plotted
"many attacks on Chinese diplomats, delegations and citizens."
China has stepped up regional security cooperation in recent years, holding
joint military exercises with Xinjiang's neighboring countries, whose people
share cultural and religious links with Xinjiang's ethnic Uighur majority.
Anti-terror pacts with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan have already
been ratified. A Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism
was signed in 2001 between Russia, China and the four Central Asian countries
_ all members of the China-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
It isn't clear whether the agreements have led to any concrete gains for China,
such as the capture of opponents of its government.
Chinese authorities deny any recent separatist violence in Xinjiang, and critics
say Beijing is using terrorism as an excuse to tighten control over the region
and suppress Uighurs' nonviolent calls for greater cultural autonomy and economic
opportunities.
yahoo.com
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