The Sunday violence in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is not a peaceful protest, but "an evil killing, fire setting and looting", said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang on Tuesday.

"Anybody calling the violence a peaceful protest is to turn black into white in an attempt to mislead the public," Qin told a regular press conference.

More than 150 people died and other 1,000-odd injured following the riot Sunday evening in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

(Xinhua News Agency July 7, 2009)