The Chinese government's reaction to the July 5 riots in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, was "normal" and "understandable," Italian experts told Xinhua in recent interviews.

Beijing's reaction "was natural," said Giuseppe Sacco, a professor of international relations and world economic systems at the Luiss University in Rome.

"China defends its territorial integrity," Sacco said.

Noting the heavy attention given to the issue in the West, Sacco said that was partly due to the rioters' "links with separatism and terrorism."

"The Chinese government's immediate reaction is more than comprehensible and even obligatory," said Stefano Gardelli, a foreign policy expert.

"China must show its capacities to rapidly respond to internal crises," Gardelli said.

Gardelli also praised the Chinese authorities' handling of the post-emergency situations in Xinjiang. "The Beijing government successfully brought the situation under control," he said.

China's reaction showed its "zero compromise with the separatists," said Nicola Casarini, an East Asian expert at the Rome-based International Affairs Institute (IAI).

The riots in Urumqi, plotted by separatists, killed 197 people and injured more than 1,680 others. The Chinese government took immediate and decisive measures and quickly restored order in the city.

(Xinhua News Agency July 27, 2009)