"The riots were probably orchestrated from outside. I don't think it was orchestrated from inside China," Lale Yuvali, who now is responsible for travel and cultural activities of the association, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"If there was no external intervention, there were no such events," she added.

The July 5 rioting in Urumqi, the capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, killed 197 people and injured more than 1,600 others.

Yuvali said she understood measures that China had taken to control and stabilize the situation after the rioting.

"Calm should be restored," she said. "It is the Chinese authorities' responsibility to restore calm."

Yuvali has made numerous trips to China since 1978, including three visits to Xinjiang, and has seen the great changes made since the country's opening-up 30 years ago.

"As a close friend of China, I am very familiar with this great country. I have always admired the harmonious relationship among the 56 ethnic groups and their cultures, customs, their sweetness of life in the beautiful landscapes and the kindness and hospitality of the Chinese people," she said.

Yuvali said the daily lives of Chinese citizens have enormously changed and their living standards have been greatly improved.

"The changes are enormous and China advances in strides," she said.

The Urumqi riots came before the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and amidst preparations for the Shanghai Expo in 2010.

Yuvali noted that in recent years there always have been negative agitations on the eve of major events in China, citing riots in Tibet on March 14 before the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Yuvali said that in the face of China's rapid advancement, some forces have wanted to block its development through violence. She expressed hope that China could overcome the difficulties caused by the unrest and continue to achieve even greater success in the future.