Chinese President Hu Jintao’s decision to cut short his visit and abruptly leave the G-8 summit on Wednesday morning to attend more pressing problems caused by the Uighur unrest has taken many countries, including India, by surprise and only increased concerns that the situation in China’s Xinjiang province is more serious than is known so far.

More so, sources said, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is in Beijing to handle the situation. In fact, it was Wen who took centrestage after last year’s devastating earthquake in China. That the current situation in Xinjiang has required Hu to cut short his visit to a summit as important as the G-8 and is being seen as a clear indication that the matters are far more tense than they appear.

In many ways, sources said, the situation in Xinjiang runs the risk of becoming another embarrassment for China as it prepares to clamp down on the rioting. What had officials quite surprised is the fact that Beijing often brazens out these difficult questions just like it does in Tibet, but this time Hu felt the need to be seen back at home. He is also likely to address the nation after a Politburo meeting.

The Chinese President left on Wednesday morning even before US President Barack Obama arrived at the summit. Many critical issues like taking stock of the economic crisis, climate change and food security were to be discussed at the meet. In fact, there were indications that China will seek to have a debate on continuing with the US dollar as the global reserve currency.

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