Xi Jinping's inspection tour of Xinjiang

The CPC Central Committee's policies to support the XPCC must be implemented to the letter so that its strength can be given full play, Xi said.

He also demanded strengthening agricultural science and technology and equipment support to develop competitive agricultural products and industries in accordance with local conditions, and promoting the development of green agriculture and animal husbandry.

In the 143rd Regiment Huayuan Town Square, Xi had a cordial conversation with officials and workers from the XPCC. Xi stressed that the strategic role of the corps is irreplaceable. It is imperative to speed up the corps' reform, deepen the integration of the corps with local areas, build a pastoral homeland featuring harmony between urban and rural areas. The functions and roles of the corps should be given full play as a stabilizer for securing national borders, a melting pot for uniting people of all ethnic groups and a demonstration area for developing advanced productive forces and culture, so that the corps will be further consolidated in its strengths in maintaining stability and safeguarding borders in the new era, Xi said.

During his inspection tour in Turpan city on Thursday, Xi visited the Grape Valley to see a display of unique local fruits and learn about the city's efforts to develop grape-oriented distinctive industries and push for culture-tourism integration. Xi underlined that Turpan's beauty and fertility, along with its wealth of fruits, are a gift from nature. It is necessary to properly handle the relationship between socioeconomic development and environmental protection, promote the integrated development of culture and tourism, and create industries that enrich the people, Xi said.

Then Xi went to the Xinchengximen village in Xincheng Area, Ya'er town, Gaochang district of Turpan, visiting its public service center and a agricultural product processing enterprise. In the village square, when the general secretary arrived, people gathered around with cheers to greet him. Having pointed out that no ethnic group should be left behind in the building of a modern socialist country in all respects, Xi called for efforts to consolidate and expand what has been achieved in poverty alleviation, make solid progress in rural revitalization, bringing prosperity, a happy life and beautiful environment to rural residents. Xi also wished locals a more prosperous life and children healthy development.

In Turpan, Xi also inspected the Jiaohe Ruins, a world cultural heritage site and also the best-preserved, longest-lasting and largest relics of a clay-built city across the globe. Xi emphasized that the ancient city of Jiaohe served as a main traffic artery along the Silk Road, witnessing the over 5,000-year history of the Chinese civilization and is of huge historical value. Xi regarded it as necessary to strengthen the protection, utilization of cultural relics, and the preservation, passing-down of cultural heritage, to constantly expand the global influence of Chinese culture, and boost national pride and cultural confidence.

On Friday morning, Xi heard work reports from the regional Party committee, the regional government and the XPCC, and acknowledged the achievements made in all the work related to Xinjiang. He expressed the hope that the Party committee and the government of the region will unite all the officials and the people as one and lead them to forge ahead determinedly, and take solid steps to do a better job in all the fields.

Xi noted that with the overarching goal of Xinjiang work as the focus, efforts must be made to advance the fundamental, basic and long-term imperatives to ensure enduring social stability and long-term security in the autonomous region. We must constantly explore the effective approaches to fully implement the policies of the CPC for the governance of Xinjiang in the new era, and materialize what the CPC Central Committee requires in concrete actions and practical work, so as to ensure that work related to Xinjiang will forge ahead towards the correct direction, Xi said.

Xi said that the people's support is vital for ensuring Xinjiang's lasting stability. We must stay united and look into the future, giving full play to the role of all officials and the people in ensuring stability, boosting development and promoting reform. We must mind closely the opinions and views of people from all walks of life. We must ensure that work on safeguarding stability is law-based and done on routine basis. We must communicate Xinjiang to the world in a multi-level, comprehensive and multi-dimensional manner, do a better job in letting the world see Xinjiang with their own eyes, and tell Xinjiang's stories well, Xi said.

Xi stressed that we must develop a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and encourage more exchanges and interactions among different ethnic groups. All the ethnic cultures in Xinjiang have their roots in the Chinese civilization. We must educate and guide all officials and people to have a correct understanding of Xinjiang's history, especially that of its ethnic groups, so as to uphold the right perspective of the Chinese nation's history and strengthen the national psyche of the Chinese nation. We must take further steps to advance the project that aims to create a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation among young people. We must promote integration among people from all ethnic groups in all areas such as culture, economy, society and psychology so that they will be closely united like the seeds of a pomegranate that stick together, Xi said.

Xi noted that the capability of governing religious affairs must be improved to ensure the healthy development of religions. We must better uphold the principle of developing Islam in the Chinese context and provide active guidance for the adaptation of religions to socialist society. We must train a team of Party and government officials who are adept at the Marxist view on religion, familiar with religious affairs and competent to engage in related work, foster a group of religious figures who are politically reliable, have noble characters and religious accomplishments and can play their role at critical times, and foster a group of religious researchers who have firm political stand and good academic achievements, stick to the Marxist view on religion and be good at innovation. We must ensure that reasonable demands of religious believers be met and rally them around the Party and the government, Xi said.