Editor's note: Gao Tongtong, a special commentator for CGTN, is a research fellow of the Institute for Communication and Borderland Governance, Jinan University. Zheng Liang, a special commentator for CGTN, is the Director of the Institute for Communication and Borderland Governance, Jinan University. The article reflects the authors' opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
The year 2025 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The past 70 years have witnessed dramatic changes and extraordinary development in Xinjiang, made possible by the determined and relentless efforts of people from all ethnic groups.
Economic development has entered a new stage
Over the past 70 years, Xinjiang has consistently aligned with the nation's development strategy. Based on its unique geographical advantages and rich resources, Xinjiang has unlocked historic breakthroughs, and redefined itself from a remote inland region to a forefront of openness, and from a resource provider to a thriving industrial cluster. Now serving as a crucial gateway for China's westward opening up, Xinjiang plays an indispensable role in the country's new development paradigm. The establishment of the China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone, in particular, has injected strong momentum into the development of Xinjiang as a core area of the Belt and Road Initiative.
In recent years, Xinjiang has been promoting industrial transformation by building 10 Major Industrial Clusters, covering sectors such as oil and gas processing, new electricity systems, advanced manufacturing and new materials, as well as culture and tourism. Among these, the cotton and textile garment sector has achieved especially notable results. Xinjiang's cotton production reached approximately 5.69 million tons in 2024, accounting for 92.3 percent of the nation's total.
Meanwhile, southern Xinjiang has attracted a significant concentration of textile and apparel enterprises, generating stable employment for hundreds of thousands of local residents and establishing itself as a model case for coordinated progress in both economic development and livelihood improvement.
Furthermore, Xinjiang is leveraging its unique geographical advantage. The region is home to five national-level open ports and shares borders with eight countries, and is proving to be a vital node linking Asia and Europe. Since Xinjiang engaged in the joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative, railway ports like Horgos and Alashankou have undergone expansion, solidifying China's vital transport corridors with Central Asia and Europe. According to statistics from Horgos railway port, the number of freight trains under the China-Europe Railway Express passing through the port reached 8,730 in 2024, an increase of 12.5 percent year-on-year, and the shipment of goods reached 12.084 million tons, an increase of 10.9 percent year-on-year. These figures underscore the robust dynamism and vitality of the port economy.
People's well-being has reached a new level
Safeguarding and improving people's wellbeing is the ultimate objective of economic development. For the past seven decades, Xinjiang has remained committed to the people-centered development philosophy, focusing on addressing the most pressing and immediate issues that concern people the most. Xinjiang has worked to provide for people's basic needs and is now striving to improve their quality of life. In particular, since the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress, Xinjiang has implemented a series of initiatives to bolster weak spots, strengthen foundations, and benefit the people, initiatives which have tangibly enhanced the sense of fulfillment and happiness among all ethnic groups.
Xinjiang has increased policy and financial support in areas concerning people's livelihoods, establishing a basic public service system that benefits all its citizens. It has implemented initiatives including housing projects, educational development, and medical services. In the housing sector, Xinjiang has carried out the Rural Safe Housing Project for farmers and herders. As of the end of 2024, this project has benefited 2.73 million households in Xinjiang.
Xinjiang has also made efforts to promote balanced development of regional education. The four prefectures in southern Xinjiang have implemented 15-year free education from kindergarten to high school. According to statistics published by the State Council Information Office, in 2024, the gross enrollment rate of preschool education in Xinjiang reached 102.72 percent, the completion rate of the nine-year compulsory education was over 99 percent, and the gross enrollment rate of senior high schools was 97.74 percent, all above the national average.
In the healthcare sector, Xinjiang has an improved and optimized health service system, and the region has established a medical service system at all three levels – regional, prefectural, and county level. Local patients can now obtain treatment for everyday health issues at the community level, for common illnesses in counties and prefectures, and for serious diseases within the autonomous region. Over the past 70 years, medical conditions in Xinjiang have significantly improved, leading to a steady enhancement in the health standards of the population, with the average life expectancy in the region increasing from 30 years in 1949 to 77 years in 2024.
Minority culture has gained renewed vitality
Culture is the lifeblood of a nation. Over the past 70 years, Xinjiang has consistently balanced economic development with cultural advancement, and has attached great importance to protecting and developing the best of its traditional ethnic cultures. Stepping into the new era, Xinjiang has remained firmly focused on forging a strong sense of identity of community for the Chinese nation as the central task, and accelerated the development of the public cultural service system, demonstrating that all ethnic groups are a unified whole that has become impossible to separate.
Intangible cultural heritage, as a vital component of China's exceptional traditional culture, carries profound historical memories of the nation. Xinjiang has enacted local regulations, promoting the registration of Uygur Muqam of Xinjiang and the Kirgiz epic Manas on the "UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity."
Furthermore, public cultural facilities such as the Xinjiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum have become important windows for people of all ethnic groups to learn about their culture. Xinjiang has established 1,126 cultural facilities in towns and 11,783 cultural centers at the village level, which have institutionalized public cultural activities and enriched the spiritual and cultural lives of people of all ethnic groups.
Over the past 70 years, Xinjiang has made steady progress in carving out a development path with distinctive local characteristics. Today's achievements in Xinjiang are the fruits of hard work by people of all ethnic groups, and tomorrow's prosperity will continue to be written through their collective efforts.
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