Torch relay runs the silk road

China's torch relay entered the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar, on the second day of its journey through the mainly Muslim Xinjiang region.

Hundreds of police lined the streets as the first torch-bearer set off.

The Xinjiang leg is a highly sensitive part of the relay. Relations between the Chinese authorities and the Muslim Uighur people are tense.

Officials fear separatists may target the relay but its run in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, on Tuesday was calm.

The relay was moved forward by one week in an apparent bid to avoid unrest.

In Beijing, meanwhile, Olympic organisers have confirmed that the torch will reach Tibet - another potential hotspot - on Saturday.

A planned three-day stay there has been cut to one day because of schedule adjustments linked to last month's Sichuan earthquake, they said.

The relay will run through the main city, Lhasa, where there were violent anti-China protests in March.