Xinjiang vows to combat US slander

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region vows to actively combat the United States' crackdown on the region, the chairman of the regional government said.

"We will firmly defend the rights of Xinjiang enterprises as well as people's rights to work and pursuit a better life," said Erkin Tuniyaz, chairman of the regional government while delivering the government work report during the annual session of the 14th Xinjiang Regional People's Congress, which kicked off in the regional capital of Urumqi on Sunday.

Some Western countries especially the US have been smearing Xinjiang with baseless claims such as "forced labor" and has even tried to crack down on businesses that source materials such as cotton and photovoltaic products from Xinjiang.

According to Xinjiang's regional government, by the end of 2023, sanctions had disrupted operations at more than 100 local enterprises. Sanctioned textile and garment factories were forced to cut production or shut down entirely, resulting in significant layoffs.?"We will stand our ground on issues related to Xinjiang in accordance with the law, expand our means for countering foreign sanctions, and enhance policy support for enterprises affected by sanctions from the US, including key industry chain enterprises and small and medium enterprises, so as to safeguard the stability and security of our industrial and supply chains," said Erkin Tuniyaz.

Despites the crackdown, Xinjiang's GDP exceeded 2 trillion yuan ($273 billion) in 2024 and achieved a growth of 6.1 percent year-on-year, which is higher than the country's GDP growth rate of 5 percent in 2024, according to the work report.

The region's foreign trade volume has increased 21.8 percent year-on-year, according to the regional government report. Xinjiang has made significant progress in developing the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, actively contributing to the China-Central Asia transportation corridor, it said.

The region has particularly enhanced cooperation with Central Asian countries. A delegation of Xinjiang Party and government officials visited the five Central Asian nations. Meanwhile, several heads of state and government leaders from these countries visited Xinjiang. The mutual visits resulted in the signing of several economic and trade cooperation agreements, and the import and export to the five Central Asian countries accounting for 67.9 percent of the region's total trade.

Also, by receiving more than 10,600 visits from foreign delegations of politicians, diplomats, reporters, scholars and entrepreneurs to Xinjiang and hosting a series of international symposiums, the international society has gained a better understanding of the real Xinjiang, Erkin Tuniyaz said.

"The region has also shown the world that it's confident to further open up and have more partners," he said.

Meanwhile, the region has continued to improve its law-based routine counterterrorism and stability maintenance system. By taking firm legal measures to crack down on and prevent the activities of separatists, religious extremists and terrorists, Xinjiang is determined to resolutely eliminate the risks of violent terrorism at its inception, keeping terrorist threats outside the borders, Erkin Tuniyaz said.