Chinese President Hu skips G8 summit due to Xinjiang unrest (2nd Lead)

Jul 8, 2009, 9:32 GMT

   Beijing - Chinese President Hu Jintao pulled out of the Group of Eight summit Wednesday and returned to China to address the escalating ethnic conflict in the far-western region of Xinjiang, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

   Hu left Italy in early Wednesday and will be represented by State Councilor Dai Bingguo at the summit of the G8 and major developing countries later this week in Italy, a ministry statement said.

   Officials plan to reschedule Hu's visit to Portugal, which had been timed to follow the G8 summit, the ministry said.

   Hu arrived Sunday in Rome and met with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

   The Chinese government ordered a curfew overnight Tuesday in the riot-torn city of Urumqi, the Xinjiang regional capital, where paramilitary police struggled to restore order as more Uighurs protested and thousands of Han Chinese staged a counter march.

   More clashes and small protests were reported on Wednesday in Urumqi, but the city appeared calmer as authorities brought in thousands of extra troops and paramilitary police.

   Clashes on Sunday and Monday in Urumqi between Uighur protestors and riot police, and attacks on civilians, left at least 156 people dead and 1,080 injured, the government said.