by Xinhua writers Yu Maofeng, Zhao Yu, Li Bin

The separatist World Uygur Congress and Eastern Turkistan Islamic Party have attempted to undermine the stability and development of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region through terrorist activities, says a former Kyrgyz foreign minister.

Their violent attempts have been condemned by the international community, Muratbek Imanaliev, a veteran diplomat and director of the Kyrgyz Institute for Public Policy, told Xinhua on Wednesday.

The July 5 riot in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang region, was masterminded by the WUC and the ETIP, Imanaliev believed.

The ETIP has long been classified by the United Nations as a terrorist group, he noted. "The ETIP, together with the WUC, poses grave threats to Xinjiang's stability and development."

International terrorist organizations are skilled at "making a lot out of a little," Imanaliev said.

Living in a country bordering Xinjiang, Imanaliev was able to witness its rapid development in recent years.

"We strongly denounce the WUC and the ETIP of plotting the riot," he said.

As for the measures the Chinese government has taken to deal with the riot, Imanaliev said any government would punish violent criminals severely.

Imanaliev has been to southwest and northwest China, major population areas for ethnic minorities.

"I have been in intense touch with Chinese Khalkhas, and they are very satisfied with the ethnic policies implemented by the Communist Party of China," he said, "I saw the social welfare of China's minorities improved remarkably in the past 20 years."

The measures employed by the central and regional governments have injected a new vigor into Xinjiang's development, Imanaliev said.