( CNN ) -- For many decades , unlike their counterparts in many Western countries , Chinese police did not carry guns . Even the armed police in China , charged mainly with guarding foreign embassies , government buildings and important facilities , would normally only carry unloaded guns , keeping the bullets separate . A police officer firing a gun was a rarity , because China was a safe country . Recently , however , a major shift is occurring that is significantly changing the landscape , as China faces its own `` war on terror . '' With the war in Afghanistan winding down , there has been an intensification of terrorist attacks in China . Most bear the same tell-tale fingerprints . They originate from China 's Xinjiang Autonomous Region , which borders Afghanistan , and are perpetuated by extremists from China 's Uyghur minority , a mainly Turkic-speaking Muslim population . They aim to indiscriminately kill innocent , unarmed people in public places , demonstrating a complete disregard for human life . The deadly terror attack Thursday on Urumqi , the capital of Xinjiang , was the just the latest in a spate of such attacks to strike China since a jeep plowed into a crowd in Beijing 's Tiananmen Square in October , killing five . This week 's attack also involved vehicles -- in this case SUVs that drove into crowds at an open market as its occupants tossed out explosives , leaving at least 39 dead and 90 injured , according to Chinese state media . Other attacks have been carried out by knife-wielding mobs , such as the attack on Kunming train station in March that left 29 dead , according to state media . An attack the following month on an Urumqi train station also involved a knife-wielding mob that swarmed the station after an explosion was detonated . Three people were killed , included two suspected attackers , and 79 injured , according to state media . Days later , men with knives attacked travelers at a train station in Guangzhou , injuring six people , according to Chinese police . There have also been foiled attempts at hijacking airplanes . Faced with an intensification of such attacks , right-thinking people in China are united in unreservedly condemning these crimes against humanity . The Chinese people want peace and stability at home , and many are demanding that the government take resolute measures to combat these terrorist attacks . In response , the Chinese government has authorized the arming of police , and instructed them to shoot -- to kill , if necessary -- in combating such attacks . The government has also significantly beefed up the police presence in many cities , particularly at bus and train stations , airports , public squares , schools and other public places which tend to be the targets of such attacks . READ MORE : Q & A -- tensions in China 's restive far west . The Chinese government believes the Uyghur terror groups have been strongly influenced by foreign terror groups . Chinese Uyghur Islamic extremists have previously found their way to Afghanistan , with some winding up in Guantanamo . China 's concern is that such infiltration will see terrorist attacks in China intensify in coming years , in light of a likely resurgence of violence in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of American and NATO forces from the country . Faced with the potential threat of intensified terror attacks , China will need to significantly beef up law-enforcement capacities further and raise public awareness about potential attacks . China will also need to significantly increase international and regional cooperation to effectively deal with any resurgence of terrorism in Afghanistan in the coming years . In this context , the Shanghai Cooperation Organization , the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia , and other multilateral frameworks will have significant roles to play in rallying countries in this part of the world to unite in their common struggle against terrorism . Effectively combating terrorism will require an international united front . The international community will not be well served if we start to label terrorist attacks against one country as terrorism , but terrorist attacks against another country by another name . Put simply , an attack that aims to terrorize people by killing and injuring innocents indiscriminately is a terrorist attack -- and should be universally condemned and dealt with as such . Double standards and hypocrisy will only further embolden terrorists , and will leave more innocent people as victims of such crimes . No decent person -- and no religion -- should condone or justify terrorism . If the international community is united , terrorism in China or anywhere else in the world will never win . Let us unite in our common fight against terrorism and extremism in the world , and prevail .
Terror attacks in China intensify as fighting in Afghanistan winds down . Most originate from Xinjiang , a region bordering Afghanistan . Chinese are believed to be influenced by foreign countries . Chinese central government clamps down on terrorism .