China issues white paper on protecting rights of Xinjiang's ethnic groups

China's State Council Information Office on Wednesday issued a white paper detailing the country's progress in protecting the rights of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The white paper, titled "Respecting and Protecting the Rights of All Ethnic Groups in Xinjiang," said the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government have upheld a people-centered approach to human rights protection and Xinjiang has made steady progress in this regard over the past 70-plus years.

"China has given priority to securing and improving people's wellbeing, advanced various undertakings in Xinjiang, and shared the fruits of reform and development with people of all ethnic groups, so as to guarantee their equal rights to participation and development," said the document.