China said yesterday it would mount a sustained campaign to restore security in Xinjiang, combining mass mobilisation of Communist party units in the region with a pledge to deal ruthlessly with the “criminals” behind the week's violence.
Hu Jintao, president and Communist party head, convened an emergency meeting of the leadership, the nine-member inner- circle of the politburo, hours after arriving home on Wednesday from his truncated G8 trip to Italy.
The management of the crisis is a high-profile test for Mr Hu, who must satisfy the demands of hardliners within the party for a tough response, but keep an eye on the sensitivities of Muslim countries offshore.