China's Xinhua accuses US of double standards

Xinhua News Agency has accused the US of using violent clashes in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to question Chinese ethnic policies in the region.

On Wednesday, US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell pressed China on Uygur rights. He asked Beijing to "take steps to reduce tensions and promote long-term stability in Xinjiang."

Xinhua responded on Friday that the U.S. had taken recent events as another opportunity to slam China's ethnic policies and human rights situation. The news agency also accused the US of resorting to double standards. It says the US has yet to fully reflect on whether a possible failure its own domestic ethnic policies led to the Boston Marathon bombings.

On Tuesday, 21 people were killed in Xinjiang's Bachu county. 15 of the victims are community workers and police officers, and the remaining six are suspected terrorists.