Fight terrorism with Pakistan

The terrorist attacks in Kashgar on July 30 and 31 that left at least 20 people dead have prompted the media to conjecture that not all might be good with Sino-Pakistani relations.

Perhaps a statement issued by Kashgar authorities in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region made the media give a "spin" to the news. The statement said the leader of the rioters had received arms and explosives training in Pakistan-based camps of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (or ETIM).

The media saw the statement as unusual, for China has rarely pointed a finger at Pakistan, its time-tested neighbor and friend. The accusation was all the more striking because Pakistan, whose ties with the United States have suffered a setback since the death of Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, has been trying to consolidate relations with China.