BEIJING
China's President Xi Jinping on Tuesday paid his first visit to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region since becoming president and Secretary-General of the Chinese Communist Party.
Xi visited a unit of the Xinjiang Military Zone and an armed police squad in the key southern city of Kashgar on Sunday, according to China's Xinhua news agency.
Xinhua quoted Xi as saying in discussions with local security forces: “[We] must have effective measures to fight against violent terrorists and training must be conducted according to actual combat [conditions]."
The visit came as the autonomous region – mostly populated by Muslim, Turkic-speaking Uygurs – is increasing security measures in the wake of a knife attack blamed on Uyghurs in southwestern Kunming city.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
