Experts call for speedy legislation after Xinjiang bombing

Legislation for a counter-terrorism law is expected to come out soon following increasing terrorist attacks in China, including a railway station blast in Urumqi on Wednesday, experts say.

The latest explosion occurred outside the South Railway Station in the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on the day when Chinese President Xi Jinping ended his four-day visit to the far northwestern region that has seen growing religious extremism and terrorism.

Two suspects and a citizen were killed in the blast that also injured 79 others, police said Thursday.

An investigation showed one of the two suspects was Sedirdin Sawut, a 39-year-old man from Xayar county, Aksu prefecture in southern Xinjiang.

The two suspects have long been involved in religious extremism. At 7:10 pm Wednesday, they stabbed people and set off explosives at the exit of the railway station.

During his visit to Xinjiang, Xi said the authorities will "resolutely stamp out the brazenness of the terrorists" while "holding high the banner of rule of law." This is considered a sign that China will speed up anti-terrorist legislation to better deal with terrorism.

"The Anti-terrorism Law, which has been under discussion by legislators since 2005, is likely to come out soon, perhaps this year," Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Saturday.

Li said a specific law will make it clear the responsibility of various government departments in the terrorism fight, so as to improve the efficiency.

The law will also clearly define what acts constitute terrorism, so as to pinpoint the crime and punish it accordingly, he said, adding that it will demonstrate to the international community that China is fighting terrorism using the law.

In the Country Reports on Terrorism 2013 submitted by the US State Department to the US Congress on April 30, the US alleged that China's cooperation in 2013 with the US on counter-terrorism issues "remained marginal."

Chinese authorities did not provide detailed evidence of terrorist involvement in recent attacks involving Uyghur minorities, the US report said.

Several Uyghur attackers killed 29 and injured more than 140 people at the Kunming Railway Station on March 1. In October last year, three Uyghurs driving a vehicle rammed into crowds near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, killing two tourists and injuring 40. The Chinese government blamed the attackers in both incidents, as well as many other attacks in Xinjiang in recent years, as connected to the international terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement.

China has expressed its anger toward the US report and accused it again of pursuing "double standards" on anti-terrorism issues.

"To make irresponsible remarks towards other countries and pursue double standards will not help international cooperation on counter-terrorism," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday in an online statement.

China always fights against terrorism in accordance with the law while paying attention to eliminating both the symptoms and root causes of terrorism, he said, adding that China is opposed to linking terrorism to specific ethnic groups or religions.

Hong Kong-based newspaper Ming Pao quoted an anonymous legal expert as saying he has participated in rounds of counter-terrorism law discussion led by the Ministry of Public Security.

The current situation, as well as President Xi's attention, has made it urgent for the law to come out soon, the report said.

The Justice Web (jcrb.com), a website run by the Procuratorate Daily under the Supreme People's Procuratorate, ran a story on March 14 saying a specific counter-terrorism law is urgently needed to fight the terrorism that has become increasingly complicated and requires the coordination of more departments.

Sayibak district police bureau in Urumqi posted a notice on Saturday, offering a reward of 100,000 yuan ($15,980) to anyone who can provide vital information about the two suspects' vehicles or residence before they carried out the attack.

President vows to fight terrorism

March 2

A day after a terror attack at Kunming Railway Station in Yunnan Province, Xi said that authorities should realize the complexity and severity of anti-terrorism and combat all terror crimes with determined attitude and effective measures.

March 4

Meeting the nation's ethnic political advisors, Xi said people should stand firmly against words and deeds that would jeopardize the unity of all ethnic groups and terrorism must be punished in line with the law.

Xi spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to call for strengthened anti-terror cooperation between the two nations.

March 10

Xi spoke with US President Barack Obama by phone and emphasized that China would work with the international society, including the US, to combat terrorism.

April 9

Xi presented a new flag to Falcon Commando Unit, an elite police counter-terror brigade in Beijing. Xi emphasized during his visit that the armed police force should shoulder its obligation as an important power to combat terrorism and maintain social stability.

April 25

At a CPC Central Committee Political Bureau meeting, Xi called to establish and improve the structure of counter-terrorism efforts, strengthen measures to maintain stability at grass-roots level and make terrorists become "like rats scurrying across a street, with everybody shouting 'beat them!'"

May 1

Xi said after the blast at Urumqi railway station in Xinjiang that the battle to combat violence and terrorism is long-term and complicated, it will not allow even a moment of slackness and decisive action must be taken to suppress the terrorists' momentum.