A delegation of diplomatic envoys wrapped up a four-day visit to the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and departed for Beijing Friday.
The delegation included diplomats from Indonesia, Togo, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Syria, Turkey, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Sweden, Australia and the United States; as well as representatives of various regions in China.
Before they left, the diplomats expressed sympathy to victims of the July 5 riot in the region's capital city Urumqi, and their appreciation of Xinjiang' s development.
"We are regretful for the riot which sabotaged ethnic unity and social stability, and express our sympathy," said Togo's ambassador to China Nolana Ta Ama, also head of the diplomatic delegation. "We appreciate the government's efforts to restore order," he said.
"As diplomatic envoys, we are on missions to develop our countries' friendly ties with China, as well as responsible for reporting what we see here to our governments," he said.
The Chinese government allowed foreign media to enter Xinjiang after the riot, but some western media made biased and prejudiced reporting so that the public started believing the stories, said Turkish ambassador to China Murat Salim Esenli.
"We have the confidence that those who caused the incident would be brought to transparent, fair and swift justice by the Chinese authorities," he said.
"I would like to extend my heartful condolences to both Han Chinese and Uygur families who have lost their loved ones. I am very happy to see that order is restored after the 5th July incident," he said.
"There is no such country or government that allows threats to the security and property of its people. We fully support the Chinese government's measures to restore social order," said Aminu Bashir Wali, Nigerian ambassador to China.
"We congratulated the government and people of China for the swift manner in which it restored normality and ethnic harmony," said John Michael Emilio, counsellor of the Papua New Guinea's embassy to China.
During their stay in Xinjiang, the envoys attended exhibitions relating the riot, in which 197 were killed; and the fight against terrorism.
Masood Khan, ambassador of Pakistan to China, pointed out that no country can counter terrorist threats alone. He called upon the international community to cooperate in anti-terror campaigns, especially in terms of experiences, intelligence and technologies.
The diplomats showed interests in three Chinese new energy development and energy-saving companies and a Saudi Arabia-invested textile firm.
They also visited the centuries-old Karez Wells In Turpan Prefecture. The Wells are subterranean canals regarded as one of China's three greatest construction projects alongside the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. The ambassadors also went to the Imin Minaret, an Islamic pagoda built in 1777, and the Jiaohe Ruins, an ancient city on the Silk Road.
Uygur cultural heritage and ethnic identity had been well preserved, said Sudrajat, ambassador to China from the predominantly Muslim state of Indonesia.
"The heritage sites are historical evidence Xinjiang people have a long civilization, and that Xinjiang is not neglected," he said. "I very much enjoyed seeing the people in the area living stable, prosperous and harmonious lives."
On Thursday, the delegation visited Shihezi, a city designed and built in the Gobi Desert by the People's Liberation Army during the 1950s. The city, has been dubbed "a pearl in the Gobi Desert."
The delegation arrived in Urumqi Monday.
(Xinhua News Agency August 14, 2009)