Britain adds Chinese militant group to terror list
Source: Reuters
Britain has listed the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) as a terrorist organization, pleasing China, which had demanded Western support for its fight against a group it says seeks to split off its western region of Xinjiang.
Britain's Home Office, or interior ministry, on Friday designated ETIM, which it also called the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), as an "Islamic terrorist and separatist organization" trying to create an "independent caliphate" in Xinjiang.
The United States and the United Nations have listed ETIM as a terrorist group, though there is some discrepancy internationally over whether ETIM and TIP are the same entity as China says, and experts have questioned their cohesiveness.
Western countries have long been reluctant to share intelligence with China or otherwise cooperate when it comes to counter-terrorism in Xinjiang, saying China has provided little evidence to prove ETIM's existence and citing worries about possible human rights abuses.
The addition of ETIM to the list of proscribed organizations comes as leaders from China and Britain have proclaimed the countries are enjoying a "golden age" in relations.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-britain-security-idUSKCN1000PT
