China urges Japan not to host Uighur assembly in May

China is pressuring Japan to prevent an exiled Uighur group from hosting the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) in Tokyo in mid-May, saying the organization is engaged in activities undermining China’s sovereignty, Reuters reported. The Germany-based WUC, which represents the mostly Muslim ethnic group that inhabits China’s restive western Xinjiang region, plans to hold its general assembly during May 14-17 in Tokyo. Nearly 100 Uighur delegates and some unnamed Japanese politicians will attend. China has blamed the violence in Xinjiang on Turkic language-speaking Islamic separatists who seek to break off part of the Chinese territory to establish East Turkestan. “We hope Japan can adopt practical measures to prohibit this organization from using Japanese soil to engage in activities to split China,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin.