Editor's note: Hussein Askary, a special commentator for CGTN, is the Vice-Chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden, and a Distinguished Research Fellow in the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
As the Arabic proverb goes, "The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on."
Xinjiang is a unique place in many ways, besides being "a beautiful land." I am summarizing it in four points that are significant not only for China's own development but also for most nations in Eurasia and Africa. These are related to geographical, economic, security and climatic matters:
Firstly, thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched in 2013, Xinjiang was transformed from an isolated, remote corner to a central hub for communication connecting East Asia with South, Central and West Asia, and Europe. The trips of the "Iron Silk Road" railway, with trains traveling mainly through Xinjiang's border gateways, have jumped from just a few dozen in 2013 to 19,000 in 2024. This railway has become one of the most important connectivity projects in the world transporting high-value goods between China and the European Union.
Xinjiang has also become a strategically decisive factor in the cooperation between China and Central Asian nations who have aligned their national development plans with the BRI. It has grown to such a level that it has become necessary to expand the connectivity routes to include new ones such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, which started construction in December 2024. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, with enormous potential for the economic development of Pakistan, starts from Kashi, the historical city of the ancient Silk Road. The level of development of the connectivity infrastructure in Xinjiang for roads, rail, and air is breathtaking. Learning how to break isolation and turning geographical disadvantage into an advantage is of great importance for landlocked nations in the developing world.
Additionally, Xinjiang is shifting from being a mere bridge through which goods move between the East and the West to becoming an industrial region and part of the global value chain. Its industrial goods production will increase remarkably in coming years as investments in large industrial zones mature. For example, in 2023, the Xinjiang Pilot Free Economic Zone in Kashi was launched. Some of the new goods that will be produced, besides textiles, are machinery, electronics and home appliances, rail transportation equipment, agricultural machinery and equipment used in processing food. Green technologies, like photovoltaic solar panels and related equipment are also among the top products of the region.
The central government and other wealthier regions like Guangdong are pouring large amounts of investments into Xinjiang. In 2023 alone, Xinjiang received 565 billion Chinese yuan (equivalent to $78 billion) in investments. The industrialization process requires the uplifting of the skills of the local labor force, which has meant an upgrading of the educational level in the people of Xinjiang.
Xinjiang is striving to transform itself from a barren desert into a lush garden. The greening of this autonomous region, which contains the second-largest shifting sand desert in the world –Taklimakan – is one of the most amazing developments in Eurasia. Most nations across Central and West Asia and Africa, face similar climate challenges as Xinjiang. The technologies and methods developed, and lessons learned in tackling this climate challenge in Xinjiang could be shared with these nations. Last year, a green belt, encircling the Taklimakan desert to stop its expansion, was completed after 40 years of planting. All kinds of crops like cotton, fruits and livestock are produced in Xinjiang.
Finally, Xinjiang is a model of security through economic and social development. Like many areas of Eurasia, Xinjiang was affected from the mid-1990s until 2017 by a wave of deadly terrorist attacks carried out by groups with extremist religious beliefs and separatist tendencies. While security measures might temporarily have been effective, they are not sustainable to achieve stability in the long term. Combined with economic and social development, bringing prosperity and hope in a better future for the Uygurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, the Chinese government managed to push back the extremists.
In contrast to the unfounded allegations of oppression of these minorities, the culture, religion, language and traditions are well preserved through generous programs. Ethnic minorities can speak their languages, and the Uygur language is heard everywhere in public and also used in education. Government programs to preserve traditional music like the Muqam classical genre, poetry, folklore tales, handicrafts and dance are generously financed. Many of these traditions risked being forgotten, because they are transmitted only orally from one generation to the next. They are being transcribed, codified and archived to both protect them and make them available to study.
Cultural tourism has also made major breakthroughs in Xinjiang with the number of tourists, mainly from other parts of China, reaching 300 million in 2024. This is more than 10 times the population of the autonomous region itself (25.98 million). Tourism is not only a source of income for the locals, but also a contributor to the harmony and solidarity of the highly ethnically diverse nation. This is probably the most important aspect of the uniqueness of Xinjiang and its importance for other nations. Ethnic and religious diversity does not necessarily lead to instability and conflicts.
No matter how loud and how often the discredited Western propagandists scream about the non-existant genocide in Xinjiang, the caravan of progress in all aspects moves on from Xinjiang to the rest of the world.
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