BEIJING—
About 300 Chinese people are fighting alongside the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, a Chinese state-run newspaper said on Monday, a rare tally that is likely to fuel worry in China that militants pose a threat to security.

China has expressed concern about the rise of the Islamic State group in the Middle East, nervous about the effect it could have on its Xinjiang region. But it has also shown no sign of wanting to join U.S. efforts to use military force against the group.

Chinese members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) are traveling to Syria via Turkey to join Islamic State fighters, said the Global Times, a tabloid run by China's ruling Communist Party's official newspaper, the People's Daily.

"According to information from various sources, including security officers from Iraq's Kurdish region, Syria and Lebanon, around 300 Chinese extremists are fighting with IS [the Islamic State group] in Iraq and Syria," the Global Times reported.

Chinese officials blame the ETIM for carrying out attacks in Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur people. But the government has been vague about how many people from China are fighting in the Middle East.

More here: China: About 300 Citizens Fighting With IS in Iraq, Syria