Flowers are left by the north reflecting pool at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum the day before the US' commemoration of the 18th anniversary of September 11, 2001. Photo: VCG

As the 18th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks fell on Wednesday, many Chinese netizens joined discussions over the incident, and some are calling for firm opposition to terrorism and for people to be cautious of unreasonable hatred.  

On Wednesday, a topic with the hashtag "9/11" had been viewed 240 million times as of press time, with more than 51,000 netizens joining the discussion on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform.

On September 11, 2001, 19 men hijacked four fuel-loaded, commercial US airplanes bound for West Coast destinations. A total of 2,977 people were killed in New York City, Washington DC and outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The incident began the US war in Afghanistan. 

Many Chinese netizens gave their condolences to the families who had lost their loved ones in the tragic September 11 attacks, and they also criticized the US for starting wars in the Middle East which have caused millions of people to be left homeless and countless dead. 

"People who died in 9/11 attacks were innocent. Do not forget that more people who were killed by bombs dropped by the US in Afghanistan were also innocent. The US government and its shameless politicians have the responsibility for the incident since they shamelessly interfered with other countries' affairs and stealthily supported terrorists," a netizen named chaoliuyijiu commented. 

Some netizens argued that, "People who died in the incident should not have lost their lives in that way. We reflect on the incident to remind us that the threat of terrorism still exists and we should cherish our current stable and happy lives. People should not take pleasure from the tragic incident!"

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University's Institute of International Relations, told the Global Times that the discussion reflects the current complicated and troublesome situation brought about by the US' 18 years of war in Afghanistan.

The security situation in Afghanistan is severe, with more people left dead or homeless, Li said, noting that the Afghanistan war never reached the expectations of US elites. 

"All kinds of terrorism should be condemned and it is human nature to show sympathy to those who suffered in the 9/11 incident. But some netizens' criticism of US foreign policies comes from their true feelings, which should not be labeled by pro-US people as remarks of hatred," Li said. 

The US should also reflect on its own policies, which have led to extremists seeking revenge from innocent US netizens, Li said. 

Religious extremism is also to blame for the terrorist attacks, Chinese experts say. The 9/11 attacks and the modern terrorism and extremism they represent originated from Islamist fundamentalist ideology, which threatens both China and the West, Mei Xinyu, a renewed Chinese scholar, told the Global Times.

Mei believes that Islamic fundamentalism will be a fierce enemy that China and the entire civilized world will have to face for a long time. He urged the West to reflect on how Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was raised, warning against any attempt to use three forces - terrorism, separatism and extremism - to contain China.