China’s Xi urges unity, prosperity in Xinjiang on 70th anniversary

ISTANBUL

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for “unity, prosperity, cultural progress” in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as the territory marked the 70th anniversary of its establishment.

Xi said the Communist Party’s policy for the governance of Xinjiang in the new era “must be upheld over the long term,” according to a government statement.

He urged the region to “build a socialist modern Xinjiang that is characterized by unity, harmony, prosperity, affluence, cultural progress and a sound eco-environment, where people live and work in peace and contentment,” the statement added.

Xi arrived in the regional capital Urumqi on Tuesday, leading a high-level delegation that included Wang Huning, the party’s top ideologue, and Cai Qi, Xi’s chief of staff. The group is attending events marking the anniversary.

Xinjiang, established in October 1955, is one of China’s five autonomous regions with a significant ethnic minority population. It is home to more than 25 million people, including at least 10 million Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim group that makes up around 45% of the population.

Uyghurs have long accused Beijing of cultural, religious and economic discrimination, claims the Chinese government rejects.

Xinjiang covers about one-sixth of China’s land mass, sitting at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road. Today it serves as a strategic route linking Beijing to the Arabian Sea via the Karakoram Highway through Pakistan. The region is divided into 14 prefectures and more than 90 counties.