Clinton urges restraint in Uighur region
Uighur woman protesting, July 7, 2009 Regarding the deadly riots in China’s western Xinjiang region, home to the Muslim Uighur minority group, Secretary Clinton yesterday urged restraint, saying: [W]e are deeply concerned over the reports of deaths and injuries from violence in Western China. We are trying to sort out, as best we can, the facts ...
Regarding the deadly riots in China’s western Xinjiang region, home to the Muslim Uighur minority group, Secretary Clinton yesterday urged restraint, saying:
[W]e are deeply concerned over the reports of deaths and injuries from violence in Western China. We are trying to sort out, as best we can, the facts and circumstances from the region, and we’re calling on all sides to exercise restraint. We know there’s a long history of tension and discontent, but the most immediate matter is to bring the violence to a conclusion.”
On Monday, Clinton “dropped by” a meeting between Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, according to State Department spokesman Ian Kelly. When asked during Monday’s press briefing whether the riots were dicussed during the meeting, Kelly said, “I understand that it did come up,” but said he did not have a “full readout” of what transpired.
Meanwhile, U.S. Reps. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) wrote an open letter to Clinton stating, “The Chinese regime in Beijing should not be allowed to engage in another Tienanmen [sic] Square with impunity.”
Photo: PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images
Preeti Aroon was copy chief at Foreign Policy from 2009-2016 and was an assistant editor from 2007-2009. Twitter: @pjaroonFP
More from Foreign Policy

Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.

Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage
The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.

The West’s False Choice in Ukraine
The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.

The Masterminds
Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.