By Li Hong, People's Daily Online

By whatever calculations, the blood-thirsty maiming and slaughtering of civilians, as young as six years old, in Urumqi, northwestern China's Xinjiang on July 5, is heinous homicide, barbarity against humanity, and terrorist act on China.

A look into the aftermath of the bloodbath found it bore the hallmark of secret and well choreography aiming at innocent human lives, identical to Al Qaeda's killing of thousands of office workers at the World Trade Center twin towers on September 11, 2001. The terrorists this time did not use flying petrol bombs to detonate tall buildings, they brandished steel rods and wielded knives to end lives.

They really did something "big": Up to 160 civilians were killed, and hundreds more seriously injured and lying now on hospital beds hardly breathing. Police-released pictures show that most of the victims were brutally killed, their chests stabbed, heads smashed to pieces or cut off. The terror plan was perfectly implemented, within three hours, the city, a pearl in the ancient Silk Road, was in flames, many fallen forever.

The barbarity has astonished China and the world. Thanks to the authorities' revised policy of free on-spot reportage, in sharp contrast to previous media controls, more people on the globe have got to know the senseless killing. Some said that even during New Stone ages, our ancestors, though barely dressed, did not do this to each other while chasing nuts and edibles in the woods.

There are overseas reports alleging this is ethnic strife rooting in Uygur residents' loathing of Han people who are running better businesses and have become more affluent in the past years, which is refutable. Deng Xiaoping's reform and campaign for prosperity has lifted all boats. Besides, many preferential policies, including ethnic minority couples could give birth to more than one child, are not accessible to Han people.

And, the fact that many beautiful Uygur moms emptied their living rooms and even rest rooms to hide Han people for a whole night, who were fleeing the chasing thugs, and thus saved their lives, tells a ton: This is not ethnic feud. The terrorists did this ugly act in the guise of ethnic difference, to stir up ethnic hatred and fan an ethnic war on scale.

Like Bin Laden who wanted the United States on fire and in ruins, the masterminds and ringleaders of "July-5" killings, hidden in China and abroad, are dreadful of and loath a strong and unified China. They maneuver to harm the country by trying to chipping away the bedrock of it – stability and tranquility. They have dreamt of a destabilized, raucous, chaotic and strife-torn China. And, they want to pitch the Uygurs against Han people.

Beijing has been resolute and unwavering in enforcing law and restoring stability in Urumqi. Time will be needed to heal the inner scars and wounds, especially for those whose beloved ones were lost. To turn back to a normal life sooner, the law should be upheld and justice be done. All the thugs who took part in the killing of innocent lives should be subject to due punishment in accordance with the law.

Like "September 11" to Americans, "July 5" will serve as a reminder to all Chinese people. The government must be ready and steadfast in a heightened alertness to combat fanaticism and terrorism, all the time. The information departments must be enhanced to prevent breeding and grooming of more terror plans, nipping their acts in the bud. Meanwhile, China's anti-terrorism efforts ought to integrate with world's collective anti-terror regime to terminate terrorist financing, and trace every terror element to its roots, and rid it off.