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Alcott Wei

William Zheng

China’s President Xi Jinping has arrived in Urumqi to mark the 70th anniversary of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, according to state media reports, making him the first national leader to be present for such a landmark celebration.
Xi arrived in the regional capital on Tuesday afternoon, along with two members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the top Communist Party body, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Accompanying Xi are Wang Huning, China’s fourth-ranking official and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body overseeing ethnic and religious affairs; and Cai Xi, the president’s chief of staff and China’s No 5 official.
The historical visit by the president “fully demonstrates” how the party leadership “attaches great importance” to its work in Xinjiang and its “cordial care for cadres and people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang”, Xinhua said.

According to the report, Xi extended “sincere greetings and heartfelt wishes to the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang” as he met with representatives from “all ethnic groups and all walks of life” shortly after his arrival.
He urged “concerted efforts to better build a beautiful Xinjiang in the process of Chinese modernisation”, the report said.
Xi also held separate meetings with representatives from various levels of Xinjiang government, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, cadres from other provinces sent to assist Xinjiang, law enforcement, official religious leaders, grassroots religious work cadres and military stationed in the region.
Established by the central government in October 1955, Xinjiang is one of China’s five autonomous regions with significant ethnic minority populations. It is home to at least 10 million Uygurs, who are predominantly Muslim.
Yu Zhengsheng, then the fourth-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee, presided over Xinjiang’s 60th anniversary in 2015.
The visit by Xi, which follows an inspection tour carried out in July 2022, comes as Beijing places a strong emphasis on ethnic unity and the deeper integration of ethnic minority groups into the Chinese national identity.
This is part of Xi’s concept of a “sense of community for the Chinese nation”, which emphasises a unified national identity for China as a whole, rather than focusing on individual ethnic identities, and includes “sinicising religion”.
Beijing has repeatedly warned against the infiltration of extremist Islamic ideologies from abroad into Xinjiang, describing it as a key threat to regional stability and security.


Chen Xiaojiang, the newly appointed party secretary of Xinjiang and who in 2020 became the first Han Chinese head of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, is widely seen as key to promoting Xi’s concept of the “Chinese nation community”.
Earlier this month, Beijing released a draft of the “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity”, which for the first time formally incorporates ethnic unity and the “Chinese nation community” into highest governance framework. The draft also prohibits any organisation or individual from obstructing citizens’ right to learn and use the national common language.
The governance of Xinjiang has been a source of diplomatic friction for Beijing, which has strengthened security measures and emphasised counterterrorism efforts since deadly riots broke out in the region in 2009.
Beijing has also faced tensions with the West over alleged human rights abuses in the region.
Many Western countries accuse the Chinese government of rights abuses in Xinjiang, particularly against the Uygur minority, including forced labour and cultural suppression. Beijing has consistently denied these allegations.
Since 2019, Washington has imposed a series of sanctions on businesses in Xinjiang, affecting hundreds of companies in industries ranging from clothing to minerals, electronics, chemicals and steel.
Last week, the Xinjiang government acknowledged for the first time that the economy had taken a hit from the US sanctions, as first reported by the South China Morning Post.
Observers also expect that US President Donald Trump’s move to reclaim the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan will have an impact on Xinjiang, potentially worsening Beijing’s concerns about stability and terrorism there.
Trump has cited alleged nuclear activities by China in Xinjiang as justification for his demand and threatened unspecified punishment against Afghanistan if the air base is not handed over – four years after it was abandoned by US troops.
The base is less than 1,000km (620 miles) from Xinjiang, which also houses Lop Nur, China’s main nuclear test and missile base.
An Afghan government defence official said on Sunday that a deal over Bagram was “not possible”, according to Agence France-Presse.


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Xi Jinping is first Chinese president to attend Xinjiang anniversary celebration

Xi Jinping is first Chinese president to attend Xinjiang anniversary celebration. Photo: Xinhua 

People of various ethnic groups line the streets of Urumqi to welcome the delegation from Beijing headed by President Xi Jinping. Photo: Xinhua

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A worker inspects a textile production line at a factory in China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Exports from the region to the United States are surging despite Washington’s 2022 trade restrictions targeting the region. Photo: Getty Images

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Politics

Accompanying Xi are Wang Huning, China’s No 4 official and top ethnic affairs adviser, and Cai Qi, his chief of staff and No 5 official


Accompanying Xi are Wang Huning, China’s No 4 official and top ethnic affairs adviser, and Cai Qi, his chief of staff and No 5 official.


Xi Jinping is first Chinese president to attend Xinjiang anniversary celebration

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Accompanying Xi are Wang Huning, China’s No 4 official and top ethnic affairs adviser, and Cai Qi, his chief of staff and No 5 official

Accompanying Xi are Wang Huning, China’s No 4 official and top ethnic affairs adviser, and Cai Qi, his chief of staff and No 5 official