Police have rounded up more than 1,430 people following the riots that erupted Sunday in the capital Urumqi between Uighurs, who form the ethnic majority in the northwest region, and the dominant Han.

"We are worried and concerned," said French foreign ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier. "There will probably be a European response."

China has accused Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, who lives in exile in the United States, of masterminding the violence that also left more than 1,000 injured.

Kadeer on Monday called on the European Union, the United Nations and the United States to speak out in defence of the Uighur and to send teams to investigate events in Xinjiang.