Rising religious extremism 'an international phenomenon'

The number of terrorist attacks in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has been kept to a minimum by the imposition of a range of counterterrorism measures, the region's Party chief said on Thursday.

"Terrorist attacks are not caused by the policy of striking hard, but result from the international environment and Xinjiang's special situation," said Zhang Chunxian, Party chief of Xinjiang, during a group discussion among the region's delegation at the 12th National People's Congress.