Hong Kong (CNN) -- In a show of force after unrest last week that left 35 people dead, Chinese authorities have ramped up security in the far-western region of Xinjiang. Armed police held rallies in several cities in Xinjiang over the weekend, the local government news website Tianshannet reported. The site carried images showing convoys of armored vehicles and trucks full of police officers in riot gear. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs defended the action Monday, saying the government will "make every effort to ensure the long-term stability and development in Xinjiang." The measures follow an outbreak of violence Wednesday in which a group attacked police stations and other government buildings in a remote Xinjiang township, Chinese state-run media said. Authorities have described it as a "terrorist attack," but overseas Uyghur groups have questioned the official version of events.
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NEW: Chinese Foreign Ministry defends the extra security
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China deployed armed police in cities in Xinjiang over the weekend
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The measures follow violence last week that left 35 people dead
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There are ethnic tensions between Han Chinese and Turkic-speaking Uyghurs
They now make up about 40% of the population of Xinjiang, where @placeholder used to be predominant.