A girl holds a French flag during a vigil for the victims of the Paris attacks, outside the White House in Washington November 14, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

The fatal terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night bespeak the hard truth that terrorist groups such as the Islamic State have gained greater capability to mastermind assaults against societies. Stronger political will and closer international cooperation are badly needed to cope with the increasing threat of global terrorism.

As a country that is also a victim of terrorism and extremism, China stands in firm unity with France in this battle, and the Chinese people share the deep sorrow of the French people and send their condolences to the bereaved.

In their letters of condolences to their counterparts in France, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang condemned the attacks in the strongest terms and pledging to join hands with the international community to combat terrorism in all forms.

What happened in Paris on Friday is a blatant crime against humanity and an open defiance to justice and peace. Violence targeting innocent people has become the most frequently used terrorist tactic, as random mass killings sow the seeds of fear and cause social frictions.

But France and the rest of the world will not be cowed by this cowardly act of terrorism. They will only rally more closely together in the fight against terrorism.

The IS group has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks. As France is part of the US-led international coalition fighting the IS group in the Middle East, one of the purposes for the group to stage the brutal killings is retaliation.

The perpetrators may also want to disrupt the United Nations climate change conference to be held next month in Paris, where the leaders of more than 80 countries are due to participate. The French government announced on Saturday that the conference will be held on schedule, and the world has the confidence that France will host safe and successful talks.

As an enemy of mankind, terrorism can only be suppressed by joint efforts from all countries, and the attacks in Paris should be a clarion call for more concerted endeavors to rid the world of the scourge of terrorism.

Thanks to its double standards and pursuit of self-interests, the US-led war against the IS extremists in Syria and Iraq has failed to deal a fatal blow to the group.

It is high time that all forces that are willing to fight the evil group stepped up their cooperation and improved their strategies so that terrorism is defeated at an early date.