Wang
Lequan, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party
of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Xinjiang
Committee met with local and foreign press corps on Thursday to
describe the autonomous region’s development over the last five
decades.
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region celebrates the
50th anniversary of its establishment on October 1.
According to Wang, Xinjiang has set up five ethnic autonomous
prefectures and six autonomous counties since 1952. In the last 50
years, much attention has been paid to the grooming, selection and
utilization of ethnic minority cadres in order to guarantee the
rights of the various ethnic groups.
When the region was first established in 1955, there were 46,000
ethnic minority cadres, but now there are 348,000, accounting for
52 percent of all the cadres in the region. “We have also 250,000
minority professionals and technical personnel, or 56 percent of
all such personnel in Xinjiang. Over 66 percent of the women cadres
belong to ethnic minorities,” Wang said.
Actually, all major leading posts in all ethnic autonomous
governments are assumed by ethnic cadres, and ethnic minorities are
fully represented at all levels of the People’s Congress.
In Xinjiang, the religious freedoms of all ethnic groups are
respected, and normal religious activities are protected by
law.
Wang also briefed the press on the achievements scored in the
region's economic and social development since its
establishment.
There are 487,000 professionals and technical personnel working
in state-owned enterprises and institutions region-wide. According
to incomplete data, the region has netted over 3,600 major
scientific achievements since 1990. Xinjiang now boasts 28
institutions of higher learning, 183 secondary-level and vocational
schools, 1,965 ordinary high schools and 5,451 primary schools
which represent a 10.3, 13.2, 32.2 and 3.7 fold increase
respectively compared with 1955. Student enrolment stands at 4.4
million, 58 percent of them from ethnic minorities. The enrolment
rate of all the school-age children is 98.79 percent.
Radio and television coverage is currently 93 percent. The
number of books published in Xinjiang has increased from 166 to
3,750 titles, and the number of newspapers has increased from four
to 94.
Quality of life is improving steadily. In 2004, the per capita
disposable income of the Xinjiang’s urban population reached 7,503
yuan, while per capita net income of farmers and herdsmen was 2,245
yuan, which increased by 23.5 times and 18.8 times respectively
since 1978.
But since the 1990s, Wang pointed out, the “three forces”
(meaning national separatists, terrorists and religious extremists)
in China and abroad have plotted and stirred up a spate of violence
and terrorist activities in the region.
“In recent years, faced with a complicated and volatile
international situation and fighting against separatism in
Xinjiang, we have never deviated from economic construction. We
continue to unswervingly oppose national separatism, thereby
upholding national unity by resolutely lashing out at the
destructive activities of the “three forces” to effectively
safeguard social stability. At the moment, in Xinjiang, the economy
is developing, the society is stable, all ethnic groups are united
and living in peace and contentment,” Wang said.
(China.org.cn August 25, 2005)
