The United States has put a small Muslim separatist group that is resisting Chinese rule in northwestern Xinjiang province on a list of terrorist organizations, a senior U.S. diplomat said. The U.S. government put the East Turkestan Islamic Movement on its terrorist list several days ago after "careful study," Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said Monday. Armitage, who is on a diplomatic trip to Beijing, said Chinese officials greeted the move "with satisfaction." China has linked the group to the al-Qaida terror network. The group "committed acts of violence against unarmed civilians without any regard for who was hurt," Armitage said. His announcement came a day after China released rules on missile exports a step long sought by Washington. China says the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a small, poorly organized group, is using violent methods to seek independence for Xinjiang and its Muslim majority, the Uighurs. China singled out the movement in a report released in January, claiming that it received weapons and training from Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network. China says Pakistan caught a key leader of the group and sent him back to China in March. The government has not released any more information about the case. China has not given any evidence to support its claims. Outside experts reject the idea that there is any organized separatist movement in Xinjiang, a vast, sparsely populated region that covers one-sixth of China's territory and shares borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan. Armitage said discussions over the group's status had gone on for several months. Critics, including the United States, have accused China of using the international campaign against terror as an excuse to crack down on peaceful dissent in Xinjiang. The region is populated by a kaleidoscope of ethnic groups. The largest is the Uighurs pronounced WEE-gurs. The Turkic-speaking Muslims ran Xinjiang as an independent country from 1944 until 1949 when communist forces marched in. Uighurs still make up 47 percent of the area's 18 million people but Xinjiang is also home to some 5.7 million Hans, members of China's ethnic majority. The two groups are linguistically and culturally unrelated and relations are tense between the Han and Uighurs, who are blamed for most separatist violence. While condemning violence in the region, Armitage said he told the Chinese there was an "absolute necessity to respect minority rights." On the issue of missile exports, Armitage said Washington welcomed Chinese rules issued Sunday but isn't ready to respond by dropping its ban on launching American commercial satellites on Chinese rockets. Washington has accused Beijing of transferring sensitive technology to Pakistan, Iran and other nations. During a briefing about China's new regulations, reporters pressed Liu Jieyi, director general for disarmament at the Foreign Ministry, about whether China sold missile technology to Pakistan and Iran. Liu repeatedly declined to answer directly. "Since we are talking about regulations promulgated by China," he said, "I don't think that it is very fair for the sake of being polite to bring other countries into the discussion." Liu urged Washington to drop the restriction on satellite launches. "We would hope that the barriers will be removed soon so that this cooperation which benefits both sides can go ahead soon," he said. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said U.S. officials want to see what steps China will take on enforcement and "actual real reduction" in missile exports. Armitage also said he assured Chinese leaders that the United States would consult with them as it works out its options toward removing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. On Iraq, Armitage said he discussed with Chinese leaders the possibility of using military action to remove Saddam. He said he told the Chinese that President Bush has "made no decision" but "we'll consult with them as we move forward." Armitage's visit came as Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri arrived in China on Monday for talks. Armitage also said he discussed President Jiang Zemin's planned Oct. 25 visit to Bush's family home in Crawford, Texas.