Muslim separatists have been blamed for death of at least 140 people after riots emerged in China’s Xingjiang.

In a report released by the official Xinhua news agency, hundreds of rioters have been arrested after Uighurs charged the capital’s streets on Sunday, armed with rocks; some even took to smashing and burning vehicles. The Uighurs also confronted anti-riot police.     

Chinese government officials have said that this unrest was the planned work of extremist forces overseas-this may lead to a stronger security crackdown in the regions near Pakistan and central Asia.

According to a report released by the Telegraph an unnamed Chinese official has claimed that the “unrest was masterminded by the World Uighur Congress led by Rebiya Kadeer.” Kadeer is a Uighur Business woman who is currently residing in the USA under exile after spending a number of years in jail.  

This is not however, the first time that the government has cited the cause of riots to a conspiracy by exiled rebels- the Tibetan areas faced the same allegations in March of last year.

This religious unrest and ethnic tension has been a continuous underlining tension throughout China’s growth and has been seen as a threat to the country’s growing political and economic position in the west.

Xinjiang is known internationally as the gateway to China’s energy and trade relations with central Asia as the areas itself is rich in minerals and farm produce – security measure could very well jeapordise this relationship.

The China Daily has reported that the number of protestors had reached up to approximately 500, but according to the Telegraph the exiled Uyghur American Association had calculated almost 3,000 rioters.

Of the 20 million people residing in Xinjiang almost half are Uighurs- the city is now under tight police security- even during normal hours.