No double standard on terror

French citizens cry next to tributes offered for victims of the attacks in Paris, outside the French embassy in Bogota, Colombia, November 15, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

The terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday call for enhanced international efforts and cooperation to combat terrorism in all forms. In this long-term fight, the world should do more to build a greater consensus on the need for "no double standard", so all forces are united against this common enemy of mankind.

When meeting leaders from BRICS countries on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, on Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need to "address both the symptoms and root causes" of such attacks and said there should be "no double standard" in addressing these.

In the same vein, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out that China is also a victim of terrorist attacks by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a UN-listed terror group. A crackdown on the group, which has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Chinese cities and towns over the years, should be an important part of the international efforts against terrorism.

The strikes instigated by East Turkestan Islamic Movement in China and the terror attacks in Paris, for which the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility, as well as terrorist attacks elsewhere, all bear the same characteristics: They targeted unarmed civilians and tried to kill and injure as many as possible. Such attacks are intended to sow the seeds of fear among ordinary people and spread their extremist ideologies.

Due to their deep-rooted bias and double standard, some Western countries and their media refuse to recognize the violence and attacks masterminded by extremists in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region as acts of terrorism. In their eyes, only terrorist attacks that happen on Western soil can be called acts of terrorism.

The double standard toward terrorism is nothing but leniency for terrorists, and does a disservice to the fight against terror. It is high time that such an approach be dropped and all countries rally to battle terrorism in all its guises.