True Xinjiang through the eyes of foreign visitors

Having visited China’s Xinjiang five times since 1977, Dogu Perincek, chairman of the Patriotic Party of Turkey, continues to be impressed by the changes.

“Every time I visited Xinjiang, I could see a brand-new region,” Perincek said on the sidelines of an online briefing on the development of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

He is impressed with Xinjiang’s leapfrogging economic and social progress, as well as the effective protection of its diverse ethnic cultures. “Wherever you turn on TV in Xinjiang, you can find a channel showing programs in the local ethnic language.”

The Turkish party leader is not alone to be awed by the changes in Xinjiang. Over 300 leaders of foreign parties and public figures from more than 80 countries and regions attended the online briefing held on Monday, shared their views on Xinjiang’s development, and dismissed rumors about the region once plagued by terrorism, extremism, and separatism.

Solly Mapaila, first deputy general secretary of South Africa’s Communist Party, has also been to Xinjiang and was amazed by the local living conditions and various improvements.

“All the lies that have been said about China, particularly about the region of Xinjiang, about elimination, are absolutely incorrect,” Mapaila said, adding that the end of absolute poverty in Xinjiang shows the efforts of the government and the Communist Party of China are “bearing fruit.”

Official statistics showed that from 2010 to 2018, the Uygur population in Xinjiang rose from 10.17 million to 12.72 million, an increase of 25.04 percent.

The growth rate of the Uygur population was not only higher than that of Xinjiang’s total population, which stood at 13.99 percent, but also higher than that of all ethnic minority groups at 22.14 percent, let alone the Han population’s 2 percent in the region. While dismissing rumors about Xinjiang, many foreign attendees voiced support and appreciation for policies that helped maintain Xinjiang’s stability and development.

Kawa Mahmoud, secretary of the Central Committee of the Kurdistan Communist Party/Iraq, said Xinjiang’s fight against terrorism and extremism is worth learning from as the region has posted steady and peaceful growth.

Xinjiang’s anti-terrorism and anti-extremism efforts are built on the protection of freedom of religion and powered by pro-development measures.

Sergey Sanakoev, president of the Asia-Pacific Region Research Center in Russia, attributed the sound social, economic and cultural developments in Xinjiang to socialism with Chinese characteristics, which puts the people’s well-being first.