Full coverage: Xinjiang: Exploring China’s New Frontier

For more on the unrest in Xinjiang and China's fight against terrorism, we are now joined in the studio by my colleague Han Bin, who spent well over a month in Xinjiang to produce this series. Hello, Han Bin.

Unrest in Xinjiang has drawn great attention in the international community. The case in your report indicates that the violence continues and government control has been intensified. Some use the word “restive” to describe Xinjiang. From your interviews, how do people in Xinjiang see the incidents?

I think the word "restive" is exactly one stereotype of Xinjiang. Western reports are focused on extremist activities and ethnic clashes. They cite government control and economic imbalance as the reasons. And the narrative of Chinese outside Xinjiang usually portrays the people as poorly educated and violent but good at singing and dancing. Western media has interpreted China’s goal is to strengthen “Han colonization” and "suppress minority culture". And domestic reports also fail to provide an overall picture.

I can't deny unrest is on the rise over the years, but I don’t think extremism should be linked with Xinjiang as a whole. One of the questions I've been most frequently asked is whether Xinjiang is safe. The people I interviewed there, including the Uyghurs and Muslims from different ethnic groups, all condemn terrorism. They all want peace for themselves and others. Yes, it's true Xinjiang has a lot of security checks. But I didn't feel unsafe travelling there. In fact, the Uyghur people were extraordinarily friendly to us. I felt their tradition of hospitality comes from the heart. I think labeling Xinjiang as restive is a cliché, resulting from a lack of enough direct experience. "Restive" may be valid in certain cases, but not all, and certainly not the majority.

What is the biggest threat of terrorism in Xinjiang? How effective are China's counter measures?

For quite some time, the government’s policy has been “one hand hard, one hand soft”, meaning being severe in combating terrorism, and providing preferential policies to make way for development. The Chinese government has repeatedly emphasized the importance of harmony in Xinjiang and overall development of ethnic minorities with the Han majority. China has promised to bring equal prosperity to all people living in Xinjiang, yet resentment from lagging behind among some Uyghurs remains. And some Han Chinese elsewhere resent those preferential policies as an unfair advantage. But what worries the government is the link between terrorism and outside forces. History shows a recurring threat of separatism. The East Turkestan Islamic Movement is aiming to build its own Islamic state with Xinjiang. Recent reports have revealed that there are hundreds of Chinese Uyghur fighters in Syria, fighting with ISIL, and some intend to return to Xinjiang to continue the jihad. China is doing everything it can to ensure security. Xinjiang has become the battleground in China’s fight against terrorism. And the situation will continue for a long time.