Crackdown on crimes pledged

URUMQI - China's top police officer on Thursday vowed to resolutely crack down on violent crimes and terrorism to ensure the country is safe and stable.

An effort should be made to understand the "severity, complexity and persistence" of the fight against terrorism and increase the country's sense of urgency and responsibility in order to maintain stability, said Meng Jianzhu, minister of public security.

Meng made the remarks at a national anti-terrorism work conference in Urumqi, the capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, following two violent terrorist attacks that had occurred in Xinjiang's city of Kashgar over the weekend. The attacks killed at least 14 people and injured 42 others.