Foreign experts, officials praise China's ethnic policy

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Some foreign experts, scholars and officials are praising China's ethnic policies and voicing support for its efforts to defend its sovereignty and social stability in the wake of a deadly July 5 riot in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The riot in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region, killed 197 people and injured more than 1,680 others.

Antoine Harb, an official with Lebanon's education ministry, told Xinhua that he learned of the incident with great shock and regret.

"China's economy is growing rapidly, and people there live happily...There are no reasons for such things to happen," he said.

Harb said he was impressed by China's prosperity and the hospitality of the Chinese people when he visited Nanchang and Beijing last year.

"China's policies on minorities set a good example for the world to learn from, so I believe the riot must be instigated by some forces outside China," he said.

Massoud Daher, president of the Lebanese-Chinese League for Friendship and Cooperation, also praised China's policies on minorities.