Chinese FM calls for united front to fight terrorism

ANTALYA, Turkey -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday called on the international community to form a united front to combat terrorism in the aftermath of Paris attacks that killed at least 132 people and injured 349 others.

China strongly condemned the terrorist attacks that rocked the French capital on Friday night, Wang said at a working luncheon attended by foreign ministers of the G20 members in Antalya in southwest Turkey.

China supports France in safeguarding its national security and stability and in resolutely cracking down on terrorist activities, he said.

"China holds that joint forces should be formed to fight against terrorism, and that both the symptoms and root causes of the issue should be addressed. Double standard shouldn't be allowed," he noted.

"The UN's leading role should be brought into full play to combat terrorism, and a united front in this regard should be formed," he added.

Wang pointed out that China is also a victim of terrorism and the crackdown on the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a UN-listed terror group, should become an important part of the international fight against terrorism.

The ETIM launched a series of deadly attacks over recent years in different parts of China, including Beijing, Urumqi and Kunming.

A total of 31 people were killed and another 141 injured by knife-wielding assailants at a train station in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, on March 1 last year.

An assault on a market in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on May 22 last year killed more than 30 people and injured 94 others, prompting a year-long campaign against terrorism.

Terrorist attacks have also spread to other parts of the country. Three people were killed and 39 others injured when a sports utility vehicle plowed into crowds near Tian'anmen Square in the heart of Beijing on Oct. 28, 2013. The suspects died at the scene.

The ETIM claimed responsibility for all these three attacks.

Wang is in Antalya to accompany Chinese President Xi Jinping for the two-day G20 summit that opened Sunday.

At Sunday's working luncheon, Wang also referred to the second Vienna meeting on the Syrian crisis that was held Saturday and involved representatives of 17 countries and other international bodies.

Wang said major progress has been made at the one-day meeting as an international consensus was reached on a timetable for establishing a transition government of Syria and holding an election within 18 months.

"Political solution to the Syria issue has entered a new phase," he said. "The outcome did not come easily, and the key is implementation."

All parties concerned, Wang noted, should cooperate to carry out the consensus amid efforts to push for an early settlement of the Syrian crisis.