Chinese President Hu Jintao was forced to cut short his G8 visit short to deal with rising tensions in his country.

Ethnic riots between the Muslim Uighur minority and Han Chinese have left at least 156 people dead.

Wednesday, China flooded the area where the protests have been going on with security forces.

CBN reporter George Thomas explains what has caused this violence.

"What's happened in the last 20 to 30 years is that the Han Chinese, as a result of the Chinese government said listen, all Han Chinese, we need to stop shipping them to the Xingxang province and change the balance," he said. "What you have is the economic balance as well as a political balance so right now you have 45 percent Uighur and 40 percent Han and there are tensions that are brewing between these two groups."  

One communist leader promised those behind the killings would be executed.