BEIJING, Oct. 11 — The Chinese government made its most explicit call yet for international support to fight Muslim separatists in its far West, saying it had evidence of their ties with terrorist groups abroad.
Bolstering its fight against a small separatist movement in the western region of Xinjiang, which is dominated by the Muslim Uighurs, has been an implicit goal of the government since the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington. China quickly declared its support for a global antiterrorist campaign and has not objected to a limited American-led military campaign in Afghanistan, with which it shares a short border.
The Uighurs speak a Turkic language and have more cultural affinity with Central Asia than with the rest of China. Internal and exiled groups have called for an independent or autonomous state of "East Turkistan," the name taken by a self-declared republic that existed briefly in the 1940's. There have occasionally been shootings of Chinese officials and bombings in the region, and the local press in Xinjiang frequently reports the arrest or execution of violent separatists.
Most Uighurs are not involved with any violent insurrection, but economic and cultural resentment of the majority Chinese is widespread. Western governments and human rights advocates charge that Chinese authorities, in their zeal to prevent any moves toward secession, have also suppressed basic legal rights, repressing even peaceful expressions of Uighur nationalism.
Rights monitors abroad have expressed concern that China will exploit the new international antiterror campaign to fend off criticism of its poor human rights record.
At a regularly scheduled press briefing today, Sun Yuxi, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said that the Uighur separatists were clearly in the terrorist camp.
"We have conclusive evidence that the East Turkistan elements have participated in terrorist activities," he said.
"It's openly stated in their guidelines that they will engage in violence against China," he said. "We also have evidence that they have colluded with international terrorist groups."
Mr. Sun said that Uighur separatists have engaged in "bombings, assassinations, poisoning, abductions and robbery," threatening the stability not only of China but also of the surrounding region.
"We hope that our fight against the East Turkistan forces will become a part of the international effort against terrorism, and it should also win support and understanding," he said.
Western experts say that small numbers of Chinese Uighurs have trained or fought with the Taliban in Afghanistan and that arms have sometimes been smuggled from Central Asia into Xinjiang. However, there is no evidence that the Taliban or Osama bin Laden have seriously targeted China for subversion.
Islamic fundamentalism is rare in Xinjiang and experts say the low- level conflict there has been driven more by the Uighurs' ethnic and cultural differences than by religion.
Mr. Sun said that because of their record of violent tactics, Xinjiang separatists are "terrorists" and not "freedom fighters." He said that the international community "should not have a double standard" when it comes to fighting terrorism.
In response to Mr. Sun's statement, Amnesty International expressed concern that repression of Muslim groups would increase in Xinjiang, citing reports of a new campaign to suppress terrorist and separatist activities in the region.