China calls for united global front to combat terrorism

World Today

China calls for united global front to combat terrorism

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on the international community to form a united front to combat terrorism in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, which killed at least 132 people and injured over 350 others.

Wang, who made the remarks at an informal luncheon of G-20 foreign ministers held in Antalya in southwest Turkey on Sunday, said that China strongly condemns the terrorist attacks that rocked Paris on Friday night. He added that China supports France in safeguarding its national security and stability and cracking down on terrorist activities.

“China holds that joint forces should be formed to fight against terrorism, and that both the symptoms and root causes of the issue should be addressed. Double standards shouldn’t be allowed,” he said.

To better conduct the global anti-terrorism mission, Wang called on the United Nations to take the leading role in coordinating international anti-terrorism actions, adding that “a united front in this regard should be formed.”

Meanwhile, Wang pointed out that China is also a victim of terrorism and the crackdown on the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a U.N.-listed terror group, should become an important part of the international fight against terrorism.

The ETIM has, in recent years, launched a series of deadly attacks in different parts of China. Three people were killed and 39 others injured when a sports utility vehicle plowed into crowds near Tian’anmen Square in the heart of Beijing on October 28, 2013.

Following that, knife-wielding assailants ran amuck at a train station in Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, on March 1, 2014, killing 31 people and injuring 141 others.

Two months later, on May 22, 2014, an assault on a market in Urumqi, capital of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region killed more than 30 people and injured 94 others.