The Olympic torch is passing through northwest China's predominantly Muslim region of Xinjiang, a sensitive part of its journey to Beijing.
Security was tight as the flame left People's Square in the capital, Urumqi, for its journey around the city.
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Ties between Chinese authorities and the Uighurs are tense. Officials fear separatists could target the relay.
The relay has been moved forward by a week, in an apparent attempt to avoid unrest. The torch's visit to another potential hotspot, Tibet's main city, Lhasa, has also been moved up.
Terror allegations
In Urumqi, extra security was put in place ahead of the relay.
Police carried out vehicle checks, firecrackers were banned and spectators told to stay away from footbridges.
People entering People's Square had to pass through metal detectors while police searched their bags, AFP news agency reported.
The majority of the 3,000-strong crowd that gathered there were Han Chinese, the agency said.
Many Uighurs resent the large-scale influx of Han Chinese settlers into the resource-rich region.
Some groups are fighting to establish an independent Islamic nation, leading to periodic violence in Xinjiang.
Beijing accuses the groups of links to al-Qaeda and this year claims to have foiled at least two Xinjiang-based plots targeting the Olympic Games.
But human rights groups accuse the Chinese authorities of using the alleged terror links as a way of cracking down on the independence movement.
(BBC)
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