China: Fighting terrorism not ‘mission impossible’

Terrorism is a common threat faced by the entire international community. With rising cases of terrorist attacks, the fight against terrorism seems to be a "mission impossible."

China is a victim of terrorism, as evidenced by the recent terrorist attacks in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Yunnan Province and Beijing. They demonstrated the urgent need to counter terrorism.

A top priority for the Chinese government is to take decisive measures against all forms of terrorism.

The Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement should be the top target in the fight. It is a UN-listed terrorist group and has been behind many of the terrorist attacks in China. It has close links with Al Qaeda and other evil forces.

China has joined hands with the UN, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia and other international and regional organizations to crack down on terrorism.

The UN Security Council should play an important role in counter-terrorism. During the past few years, the UN Security Council has adopted a series of counter-terrorism resolutions, and the UN General Assembly has adopted the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. These have provided the necessary guidance for international cooperation.

China can step up its cooperation with the UN and other international and regional organizations in striking terrorist activities.

Counter-terrorism efforts should reject double standards. The international community should decisively combat terrorist activities, wherever or whenever they occur.

International cooperation in fighting terrorism should adhere to one standard. The condemnation by the Kremlin and the White House of the recent terrorist attack in Xinjiang is a welcome sign of international solidarity. Counter-terrorism efforts should be based on international cooperation and coordination.

China should strengthen domestic counter-terrorism legislation. So far China lacks a comprehensive law against terrorism, which should cover the definition of terrorism, legal penalties, terrorism financing, Internet terrorism and so on. Many legal experts have already called for a comprehensive law to govern counter-terrorism efforts in China.

Efforts must be made to step up law enforcement. Before a comprehensive law can be enacted, law enforcement can be enhanced.

At the same time, China should enhance cooperation with other countries in the areas of early warning mechanisms, surrender of terrorist suspects, full mutual judicial assistance, measures against terrorism financing, travel restriction, border control and intelligence exchanges among others.

More efforts are called for to build up counter-terrorism capacity. The recent incidents also demonstrated a lack of adequate counter-terrorism measures and capacity. China should not just build up its own counter-terrorism capacity, but also provide more counter-terrorism assistance to other developing countries.

Counter-terrorism efforts should aim to address both the phenomenon and its root causes in an integrated manner. Counter-terrorism efforts also need to advocate dialogue and exchange among civilizations, religions and ethnic groups to enhance mutual understanding and tolerance. One should not link terrorism with a particular race or religion.

Terrorism is a hard nut to crack, but we should unite in the fight against this evil. With courage and will, we can accomplish this "mission impossible."