An earthquake of about 7.2 magnitude occurred near the border of China’s Xinjiang region and Tajikistan at around 8.37am (0037 GMT), Chinese state television CCTV reported on Thursday. The quake struck around 5.37am local time (0037 GMT) at a depth of about 20.5 kilometres. USGS estimated that “little or no population” will be exposed to landslides from the quake.