BEIJING - Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Tuesday called on some foreign countries to understand and support China's efforts to safeguard social stability.

Hua made the comments when asked about remarks made by the European Union's Ambassador to China Markus Ederer regarding a violent attack that happened last week in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Sixteen knife-wielding religious extremists killed 24 people on Wednesday in Shanshan County of Turpan Prefecture. Local police shot and killed 11 of the attackers and apprehended the other five.

On Monday, Ederer said the EU believes "it is necessary to address the underlying causes of ethnic tensions in order to achieve lasting stability and prosperity."

Hua said China and Europe are both victims of terrorism and should firmly oppose and fight against any forms of terrorist attacks.

"Terrorism is not only the enemy of the people of Xinjiang and China, but also the common enemy of human beings," she said.

It will harm the interests of oneself and others if one takes a double standard or adopts an indulgent policy on the issue, the spokeswoman said.

Any responsible government would never condone such actions, instead, it would take resolute measures to protect the lives and properties of its people and safeguard national stability, she said.

Hua called on relevant countries to recognize the nature of terrorism and show understanding and support for necessary measures taken by the Chinese government to safeguard the safety of its people and their properties, as well as social stability.