ABU DHABI - An Abu Dhabi court on Wednesday sentenced two Chinese Uighurs to 10 years in prison after they were convicted of plotting to attack a Dubai-based Chinese shopping mall` a local newspaper reported.

"The two Chinese Uighurs accused of plotting to attack the Dragon Mart in Dubai were sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday by the Federal Supreme Court`" of the United Arab Emirates` The National newspaper said.

The two Chinese nationals` "charged with attempting an attack on the shopping mall and being members of a terrorist organisation`" were arrested in July "while they were obtaining materials to create a bomb`" the English-language daily reported.

They are allegedly members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement -- a group listed by China` as well as the United Nations and the United States` as a terrorist organisation.

The pair` identified as 31-year-old M.B. and 35-year-old W.G.` wanted the attack on a statue outside the trading centre to be "symbolic`" directed against the Chinese government` the paper said` citing judicial sources.

"They did not intend to cause casualties`" it added.

However` the daily said that "experts told the court the materials they intended to use would cause `big` damage."

The defendants did not receive the death sentence` as those convicted of "terrorism-related charges" usually do under UAE law` "because they were in the `preliminary stages` of planning an attack`" The National said.

`East Turkestan` is the name used by many Muslims for the Xinjiang region of northwestern China` which borders Central Asia and is home to about 8.3 million Uighurs.

Many members of the mainly Muslim community say they have suffered from Chinese political and religious persecution for decades.

BDST: 18:53 HRS June 30 2010