China appeals for U.S. help to fight Xinjiang militants

China has appealed for U.S. support in fighting Islamist militants in the far western Chinese region of Xinjiang, saying they are also a threat to the United States.

Chinese officials say the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) recruits Uighurs, a largely Muslim ethnic minority from Xinjiang, and trains them with extremists in Syria and Iraq, with the intent of returning to China to wage holy war.

Many foreign experts, however, have questioned whether ETIM exists as the coherent group China claims it is.