China sends arms trainers to Xinjiang

BEIJING - A team of arms trainers has been sent to China's northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to help local police better handle terrorist situations, the ministry of public security said on Tuesday.

The team, consisting of 30 trainers from across the country, is part of a three-month program launched in April to train grassroots policemen in using arms, the ministry said.

It said training will focus on the legitimate use of weapons, tactical collaboration, emergency response as well as safety protection, and will highlight proper handling of cold arms.

In recent years, China has witnessed a string of violent attacks on police, government organs and civilians. Most of the attacks have taken place in Xinjiang.

But since last year, attacks have spread beyond the region.

According to a report published last week which reviewed China's national security status, ten terrorist attacks were reported in the country in 2013. These included one in Tian'anmen Square in Beijing last October, during which separatists drove a vehicle into a crowd of tourists, killing five and injuring 40.

Security experts have also noted an increasing use of cold weapons in attacks. On March 1, knife-wielding assailants killed 29 civilians and injured another 143 at a railway station in the southwestern city of Kunming.

The ministry of public security said it hoped the arms trainers will help improve local police's capabilities in "dealing with terrorist offences, resolutely suppressing terrorists' rampant momentum, and safeguarding people's security," it said.