The fact that eight terrorists traveled thousands of miles, got hold of daggers and knives despite strict security measures, and attacked passengers at a railway station shows how well organized terrorists have become in China. Such incidents should prompt the government to take more strict measures to prevent well-organized attacks, even though the task is easier said than done.

China needs to realize that terrorism is becoming one of its main threats, and focusing on Xinjiang is not enough to root out terrorists from the country. The establishment of the National Security Commission is a move in the right direction, among other things, to fight terrorism. As the top decision-making body on security, the NSC can rally military, diplomatic and civilian resources, as well as coordinate among different regions, to deal heavy blows to terrorists.

One thing China should be careful about in its fight against terrorism is not to antagonize any religious or ethnic group. For example, after the attack in Kunming, police started investigating Uygur people, which might be necessary in emergencies but should be done with discretion. The authorities have to understand that terrorists always want to intensify ethnic and religious conflicts to fulfill their dirty goals. China must learn a lesson from the US, which linked terrorism with religion and angered Muslims both within and outside its borders and, in the process, created new enemies. Besides, ordinary Chinese should not discriminate against people of certain ethnic or religious groups because that would only help terrorists to recruit more members.

In this information age, terrorism cannot be fought without international cooperation. Some Western countries apply double standard to judge terrorist attacks in China and Russia. This time the US embassy condemned the Kunming attack one day after it took place.

Therefore, Chinese authorities need to coordinate with all their counterparts in other countries and regions-even with those with which it has territorial or other disputes-to fight the curse of terrorism, because it is a threat to people of all countries.

The author is a professor at the University of International Relations. The article is an excerpt of interview with China Daily's writer Zhang Zhouxiang.