On Thursday morning, a grand gathering in celebration of the 70th founding anniversary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was held at Xinjiang People’s Hall in Urumqi, the regional capital. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the gathering. All participants stood in unison and sang the national anthem to celebrate this significant occasion. Some foreign media commented that such a high-profile visit highlights the central government’s emphasis on stability and development in Xinjiang.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi at its core has continuously deepened its understanding of the governing principles for Xinjiang and established the CPC guidelines for governing Xinjiang in the new era, providing clear guidance and strategic planning for the region’s development. General Secretary Xi has made several inspection tours to Xinjiang, attended the second and third central symposiums on work related to Xinjiang, and delivered important speeches. He put forward an integrated strategy of “governing Xinjiang in accordance with the law, maintaining stability through ethnic unity, strengthening cultural identity and bonds, bringing greater prosperity to the region and its people, and developing Xinjiang from a long-term perspective.” These efforts have ushered Xinjiang into a period of its fastest development in history, marked by the most notable improvements in people’s livelihoods and the closest ethnic unity.
On October 1, 1955, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was officially founded, marking the opening of a new chapter of regional ethnic autonomy on this vast land that accounts for one-sixth of China’s territory. Over the past 70 years, Xinjiang has advanced in step with other regions of the motherland, achieving a remarkable transformation from a land devastated by poverty and underdevelopment to one of prosperity and vitality. The region’s GDP rose from 1.231 billion yuan at the time of its founding to more than 2 trillion yuan in 2024 – an increase of 203 times compared with 1955.
Today’s Xinjiang enjoys social stability, economic growth, ethnic unity, and religious harmony. People of all ethnic groups strive together, jointly writing a brilliant new chapter for Xinjiang’s development in this new era. At present, the tertiary sector accounts for more than 50 percent of Xinjiang’s economy, new drivers of growth are flourishing, modern urban business districts are thriving, and infrastructure in formerly impoverished areas has been comprehensively upgraded. 15 years of free education are now available across southern Xinjiang. The smiles of ordinary people are the best testament to 70 years of development.
Xinjiang is China’s “western gateway,” a region where multiple ethnicities live together and multiple religions coexist. Its unique geography and social conditions provide rich and distinctive momentum for development. The Party and the state have continuously forged a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, leveraging Xinjiang’s geographical position, resources, and policy advantages to drive high-quality growth.
Today, Xinjiang has become a golden corridor connecting the Eurasian continent. From being a remote inland area, it has transformed into the frontier of China’s westward opening, deeply integrating its development with that of the world. Xinjiang’s specialty agriculture and photovoltaic industry have become calling cards of Chinese modernization. Its cotton output accounts for 20 percent of the world total, while once barren deserts and gobi landscapes have been turned into highlands of green development.
Xinjiang also offers an example to the world of how different ethnicities and religions can live together in harmony. As depicted in the TV series To the Wonder, people of all ethnic groups help one another and coexist peacefully, closely bound together like pomegranate seeds.
Internationally, there are some noises about Xinjiang’s development, largely because they do not have a good understanding of the region; Xinjiang’s rapid development has exceeded their expectations. Certain anti-China forces and media in the West also have fabricated lies and false information related to Xinjiang, aiming to disrupt its development. They maliciously attack the Chinese government’s policies in governing Xinjiang, slandering the region with accusations of the so-called “genocide,” “forced labor,” and “religious persecution.” The significant achievements Xinjiang has made over the past 70 years in terms of ethnic unity, social stability, and improved living standards serve as the most powerful rebuttal to these smear campaigns and anti-China narratives. Foreign friends visiting Xinjiang witness ethnic diversity and a strong sense of cultural pride, a vastly different reality than what is portrayed by certain Western media. These firsthand experiences break the information cocoons and collectively debunk those who speak ill of China.
Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, Xinjiang has undergone a remarkable historical transformation, moving from backwardness to progress, from poverty to prosperity, and from isolation to openness. This vividly showcases the grand journey of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Standing at a new historical starting point, the future development of Xinjiang is filled with infinite possibilities. As the Belt and Road cooperation continues to advance, Xinjiang’s strategic position as a core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt becomes even more prominent. The region, with its bluer skies, greener mountains, and clearer water, will surely have a more beautiful tomorrow.
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