Senior Chinese official calls for prosperity, stability in Xinjiang

China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng called for prosperity and stability in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at a meeting that runs Sunday to Tuesday.
Yu, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, made the remarks at the Sixth National Meeting on Pairing-Assistance to Xinjiang held in Kashgar, a city in the south of Xinjiang.
Yu urged other regions in the country to support Xinjiang in tackling poverty and implementing employment-based poverty reduction projects, as Xinjiang has vowed to take part in the national effort to lift all Chinese from poverty by 2020.
According to a white paper issued by the State Council Information Office last month, by the end of 2016, less than 10 percent of Xinjiang's population lived in poverty.
He also called for better education quality to foster more talents, and stressed the importance of facilitating communication among various ethnic groups to promote ethnic unity.
The Chinese government has been implementing a "pairing assistance" program, which allows other regions of the country to offer financial and personnel support to Xinjiang.
Representatives from 19 provinces and municipalities involved in the pairing assistance to Xinjiang, together with delegates from local and central authorities, attended the meeting.
Yu, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited companies, communities and kindergartens during his stay in Kashgar.

source: xinhua