Chinese officials have claimed Muslims from the country 's western region are travelling to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS - before returning home to take part in plots against the communist rule . Authorities in Xinjiang said they were planning to strengthen a crackdown on terrorism and extremism in the area , home to the minority Muslim Uighur , some of whom want their own independent state . But officials failed to provide any further details to back up their claims - although The Global Times , a newspaper affiliated with the ruling Communist Party , said in December about 300 Chinese are fighting alongside the Islamic State . Scroll down for video . Recruits : Chinese officials have claimed people from Xinjiang province , home to the minority Muslim Uighur , have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight alongside ISIS . Separatists : Some of the Uighur want their own state , like these delegates from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region , and the area has been beset by violence in recent years . 'There are Uighurs that have fled overseas and joined the Islamic State , ' said Zhang Chunxian , Communist Party secretary of Xinjiang , which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan , on Tuesday . 'The organisation has a huge international influence and Xinjiang ca n't keep aloof from it and we have already been affected . 'We have also found that some who fought returned to Xinjiang to participate in terrorist plots . ' China has previously expressed concerns about the rise of ISIS , fearing it will fuel unrest and violence in Xinjiang , where some seek to set up an independent state called East Turkestan . Xinjiang has seen repeated violence , as members of the Muslim Uighur have bristled under what they say is repressive Chinese government rule . Beijing has previously blamed the violence on Islamic militants with foreign connections who are seeking an independent state in Xinjiang , but has offered little evidence and ignored calls for independent investigations . Uighur groups say police have used indiscriminate deadly force against people protesting the government 's policies in the region . Chinese officials have started cracking down on the use of the veil in public , but tensions between the two groups have been on the increase for years . Pictured : . A Uighur man passes part of the old city of Kashgar . Attacks blamed on Uighurs have also occurred in other parts of the country , including a car which plowed into Beijing 's Tiananmen Gate in 2013 , killing five people . Many of the group , who have traditionally followed a moderate form of Islam , have also begun adopting practices more commonly seen in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan , such as full-face veils for women in the face of the crackdown . Some Xinjiang cities have placed restrictions on Islamic dress , including the capital Urumqi , which banned the wearing of veils in public late last year . Zhang said authorities would take measures to stop people from going abroad to fight with the group , and that he expects 'fewer and fewer cases ' of that happening . 'We are confident that we can fix it , ' he said . Another official , Shohrat Zakir , said a yearlong crackdown on terrorist activities in the region 'has won wide support from people of all ethnic groups . '
Claims people from minority Muslim group are travelling to fight with ISIS . Some are then returning to home state of Xinjiang to plot against Chinese . Separatists from the Muslim Uighur minority group want their own state . Violence has spread from Xinjiang to Beijing as they fight 'repressive rule ' But Xinjiang 's Community Party secretary 'confident ' problem can be fixed .