BEIJING -- A top official from China's northwest Xinjiang on Wednesday said violent activities by individual terrorists will not affect the all-weather friendship between China and Pakistan, as the situation in the region is stable and controllable.
China and Pakistan are all-weather friends, and Xinjiang and neighboring countries share the interests and objectives in fighting terrorism, said Nur Bekri, chairman of Xinjiang regional government.
"Anti-terrorism is a global task, as terrorism is threatening the lives of all people in the world," Bekri, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), said at the ongoing parliament's annual session.
He said international cooperation is needed in the combat against terrorism apart from domestic prevention and crackdown.
"The Pakistani government has also expressed the willingness to maintain China's sovereignty and core interests in fighting terrorism against China," Bekri said.
Xinjiang, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, is home to China's Muslim Uygur ethnic people.
A group of religious extremists led by militants trained in terrorist camps in Pakistan set fire to a restaurant and randomly killed civilians in Xinjiang's Kashgar in July last year, leaving six civilians killed and 15 others injured.
An investigation found that the group's leaders had learned how to make explosives and firearms in camps of the terrorist group "East Turkistan Islamic Movement" in Pakistan before entering Xinjiang to organize terrorist activities.
Bekri said stability is the precondition for Xinjiang's development. "Stability is an overwhelming task, as there won't be development without stability."
