The Uighurs, a Turkic ethnic group, once were a large majority in Xinjiang but now make up only about half of the province's 20 million people. In Urumqi, Uighurs are greatly outnumbered by the Han, who make up about 90 percent of China’s population.

News reports from Urumqi said up to 1,000 Han Chinese protesters gathered there on Wednesday, but Li said squads of riot police and military troops had imposed calm on the city. The police and military presence on Urumqi streets was visibly beefed up on Wednesday, and helicopters clattered overhead, looking for evidence of unrest.

The state news agency, Xinhua, reported that many neighbourhood stores remained closed, their food and bottled water sold out. A heavy paramilitary police presence enforced an overnight traffic curfew, putting the city into virtual lockdown. NYT