China has sentenced 198 people involved in 97 cases in connection with a deadly riot eight months ago in the northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a senior local official said Sunday.

"The investigation, prosecution and trial are still going on, and the final figure of the people sentenced will be more than that," Nur Berkri, chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regional government, told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature.

"China is a socialist country ruled by law, and the dignity of law allows no violation and the interests of people cannot be encroached upon," he said.

"Any criminal activity that undermines social order and damages people's life and property will be punished by law," he said.

"That is a basic value universally recognized by international communities, and also a social responsibility that a responsible government must undertake," he said.

Local authorities earlier said the riot in the Xinjiang regional capital of Urumqi on July 5, 2009 left 197 people dead and more than 1,700 injured.

"The figures have not changed by now," Nur Berkri said.

The July 5 riot demonstrated that the struggle against secession in Xinjiang will be long-term, complicated and acute, he said.

He said a few secessionists are reluctant to see the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang to live a happy life with the guidance of the Communist Party of China and in the big family of the motherland, and they do everything possible to sabotage ethnic relations, distort Xinjiang's history, and advocate their ideas of secession.

"We believe they will become more violent after the July 5 riot and will launch new attacks. But no matter what methods they use, they are doomed to failure," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2010)