By Shannon Tiezzi
One of China’s top leaders preaches stability and ethnic unity in Xinjiang, even as news of more violence emerges.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in China’s northeast. Beijing has been taking every opportunity to celebrate the anniversary by calling to attention to advances in Xinjiang’s prosperity, even while violence and ethnic tensions continue to plague the region.
October 1, China’s National Day, was also the anniversary proper of the XUAR. Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, was in Xinjiang to mark the occasion. Yu spent the week of September 25 – October 1 in Xinjiang promoting “stability and unity” in the region.
On Sunday, he visited Kashgar Prefecture, in western Xinjiang, which has been the site of intermittent violence for years. According to Xinhua, Yu “praised local residents for their efforts in fighting terrorism and urged them to cherish stability and unity.” He said that locals were living on the “front-line of terror,” and said they must be ready to fight a “protracted war” to ensure stability.
On Wednesday, Yu turned his focus to the role of China’s military – both the Xinjiang Military Area Command and the para-military Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) — in safeguarding stability and fighting terrorism. He praised both groups “for their contribution to Xinjiang’s stability and social development,” Xinhua said, while singling out the XPCC for its role in improving “communications between people of various ethnic groups.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat