ISLAMABAD, April 18: China on Friday said the Turkestan Islamic Movement, a militant separatist group in its Xinjiang province, was an ‘unfriendly’ force trying to disrupt its relations with Pakistan.

“The Turkestan Islamic Movement … is really sometimes active, very active from your areas, certain provinces, such forces we never say are happy about our brotherly relations,” said Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan Luo Zhaohui at a press briefing here.

He said China wanted Pakistan to be aware of these disruptive elements. This was possibly the first time that China has publicly spoken about difficulties in relations with Pakistan.

China characterises the Turkestan Islamic Movement as a terrorist group and suspects that it has links with Al Qaeda that has been providing “training and funding” to the militant movement.

The ambassador said that the Chinese government realised that the people and the government of Pakistan were friends of China, but there were certain forces working inside Pakistan which could damage bilateral relations.

However, he said he was optimistic that the two countries would be able to overcome these forces. “No one can damage our bilateral relations, cooperation and traditional friendship. It is an all-weather friendship,” he added.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had at the weekly Foreign Office briefing on Thursday also pointed out unspecified external forces which were trying to subvert Sino-Pak ties.

He had vowed that these external forces would not be allowed to affect the close strategic cooperation between the two countries.

It appears that dealing with the issue is high on the agenda of Pakistan as President Musharraf during his recently concluded visit of China made a special visit to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang autonomous region that borders Pakistan.

The president is believed to have discussed the issue with officials in Xinjiang.