President Xi Jinping delivers tough message to ‘frontline of terror’ on visit to Xinjiang
President demands tough action against unrest in Xinjiang, but also urges steps towards Uygur integration and promotion of economic growth
Xi Jinping has made his first presidential visit to what he called the "front line against terrorism" in the restive region of Xinjiang.
Xi's tour of Kashgar came ahead of a work conference in June that will decide policies for the troubled region.
Xinjiang has seen a series of attacks in recent years, blamed by the government on Muslim ethnic-Uygur separatists. The authorities also blame them for last month's knife attacks at Kunming railway station that left 29 dead and 140 injured.
The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in wartime
Xi visited a military unit and an armed police squad on Sunday afternoon. He also toured a police station in Kashgar on Monday and watched an anti-terrorism drill.
"You must have the most effective means to deal with violent terrorists," Xi was quoted by Xinhua as saying. "The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in wartime."
Cracking down on terrorism has been top of the agenda for Xi's administration and is among the priorities of the Communist Party's newly created National Security Commission.
At least 100 people have been killed in violence in Xinjiang over the past year, officials say.
