One of the side-effects of the September 11 2001 attacks on the US was the way it enabled other countries to smuggle their unresolved conflicts under the umbrella of George W. Bush’s global “war on terror”. Russia’s assault on Chechnya suddenly became legitimate. Ariel Sharon got the green light to retake the West Bank by force. China adroitly used the opportunity to tar the Uighurs of Xinjiang, its biggest and westernmost province, with the brush of al-Qaeda.

Now, on the eve of the Olympics, Beijing would have us believe the games are under threat from the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a tiny Uighur group that China persuaded Mr Bush, in his “either with us or against us” mood, to put on the US terrorist list. Monday’s incident in Xinjiang, in which 16 policemen were allegedly killed by Uighur separatists, may cause some alarm but the essential thesis is spurious.