BEIJING - CHINA appealed to the Muslim world for understanding on Tuesday over its handling of deadly unrest in its far north-west, as it denied accusations from Turkey that it was guilty of genocide.

'We hope that the relevant Muslim countries and Muslims can recognise the nature of the July 5 incident in Urumqi,' foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.

'The incident in Urumqi on July 5 was aimed at sabotaging China and sabotaging ethnic unity. It was orchestrated by the three forces (of terrorism, religious extremism and separatism) in and outside of China.'

Deadly unrest in Urumqi, the capital of the remote Xinjiang region, between members of China's Muslim Uighur minority and Han Chinese, has drawn concern from some governments and groups in Islamic countries, particularly Turkey.

Chinese authorities said riots in Urumqi on July 5 left 184 people dead - most of whom were Han, China's dominant ethnic group - and more than 1,600 injured.

Exiled Uighur leaders accuse Chinese forces of opening fire on peaceful protests, and say the number of people killed is far higher than the official tally.

Mr Qin insisted the 'decisive measures' taken by Chinese security forces were aimed at maintaining social order and ethnic unity between the Muslims and the Han.

'If (Muslims around the world) have a clear idea of the true nature of the incident, they will understand China's policies concerning religious issues and understand the measures we have taken,' he said.

Mr Qin dismissed remarks made over the weekend by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said the plight of China's Uighurs amounted to 'a kind of genocide'. 'In 1949, the population of Uighurs (in Xinjiang) was 3.29 million, at present the Uighur population there is nearly 10 million, or three times more than 60 years ago. What kind of ethnic genocide is this?' he said.

The Uighurs are a Turkic-speaking people who have long said they suffer repression and discrimination under Chinese rule. -- AFP

Read also:
Remarks 'irresponsible'
Urumqi tense after shooting