Clinton urges restraint in Uighur region

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