West unfair on Sochi security

Of course, it is unjustified to absolutely connect the black widow phenomenon with certain religions or ethnic groups. Globally there are many other terrorist groups that use females.

Why is Russia always a victim of terrorism? There are geographic and historical reasons. Stretching across the Eurasian continent, the country is home to various ethnic groups and religions, who had conflicts with each other. After the end of the Cold War, extremism combined with separatism and terrorism became rampant in the central Asian region and evidence shows that the three evil forces got direct funding, technical, and even human resources support from the global terrorist groups attacking the United States and European countries. It is actually the same enemy that the Eastern and Western hemispheres face.

That's why the countries that were victims of terrorism united in the anti-terrorism campaign. In September 2006, the United Nations General Assembly passed the 2006 UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy, to better coordinate joint anti-terrorism efforts.

However, some countries that promote counterterrorism in words are doing otherwise in deeds. Holding double standards on global counterterrorism, some Western countries and political groups show no tender care in fighting terrorism in their own territories, but politicize the same actions taken by other countries. For example, Russia's counterterrorism measures in the North Caucasus region and China's efforts to maintain stability in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are criticized by Western media and connected with discrimination against religious or ethnic groups. These double standards should stop.

Contrary to the divisive actions of certain Western countries, the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have set a good example by uniting against terrorism. Over the past decade, it was thanks to the coordinated efforts of the member states that stability and security have been ensured in Central Asia.

The suicide attacks in Volgograd show that terrorism is still rampant in the Eurasia continent. In the face of terrorism, it is important that countries defend their people. China and Russia need not only to further cooperate with each other in fighting terrorism, but also offer mutual support in denouncing the double standards set by Western countries. As the West is criticizing Russia for the tightened measures aimed at ensuring the security of the Sochi Olympics, China should support Russia's initiative.

The author is a researcher with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.