China raises alert against terrorism

China has increased its terrorism-alert level to cover the whole country, following the fatal attacks in Paris, France, last Friday.

In the wake of the attacks across the French capital, provinces and cities in China have issued new counterterrorism orders and held antiterrorism exercises.

An emergency video conference was held on Sunday night by the counterterrorism leading group of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The region's police chief, Ma Ming, called for a stronger sense of urgency and responsibility from all officials, and stressed the significance of safeguarding the stability of northern China. He also underscored duty, cooperation and supervision throughout the undertaking.

In Shanxi Province, north China, the antiterrorism leading group held a similar emergency conference on Sunday, with the group's chief calling for better countermeasures and preparedness.

While in Shanghai, special operation armed police undertook a counterterrorism drill on Sunday to improve their ability to deal with emergencies.

In addition, the People's Daily shared instructions on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media, informing the public of what to do should they be caught up in a terrorist attack.

Also on Sunday, Guo Shengkun, head of the national antiterrorism leading group and the country's police chief, underscored the need to heighten awareness and boost preventative measures during a conference with security and counterterrorism officials. He told officials to make sure that the safety and rights of the people of China were always put first.

China has its own concerns related to terrorism. An assault on a market in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on May 22 last year left more than 30 dead and injured 94, prompting a year-long campaign against terrorism.