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Xinjiang
ChinaPolitics

In Xinjiang, China’s security chief urges Mandarin use, terrorism crackdown

Chen Wenqing visits western region and calls on local agencies to combat crime, root out extremism and strengthen border defence

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Actors perform an eagle dance in Taxkorgan Tajik autonomous county in western China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on March 22. Photo: Xinhua
Xinlu Liangin Beijing
China’s top security official Chen Wenqing has urged ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang to use Mandarin and called for signs of terrorism to be “struck down promptly” in the far western region.
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During a visit to Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region from Thursday to Sunday, Chen called on local security agencies to focus on achieving social stability and long-term peace, improve the “legal and normalised” approach to counterterrorism, and maintain stability in Xinjiang, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Chen is a member of the Politburo, the Communist Party’s centre of power, and secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, which is in charge of China’s law enforcement agencies.

In Xinjiang, Chen visited the cities of Urumqi, Kashgar and Aksu, and stressed that authorities must maintain a “zero tolerance” approach towards violent crime and continue to root out extremist ideologies, according to Xinhua.

“[We] must enforce the law strictly, combat violent and terrorist crimes according to the law, and eliminate the soil of religious extremism. Any sign of terror must be struck down promptly,” he said.

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One of his stops was a municipal “comprehensive governance centre” in Aksu, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Xinjiang Legal Daily reported last month that the centre aimed to simplify the process for citizens to voice concerns.

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