China is hosting an international conference in Xinjiang to promote economic development efforts in the northwestern region, which has been known as the site of mass detentions of ethnic minorities. The International Conference for Trans-Altai Subregional Cooperation being held Wednesday in the city of Altay includes officials from Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and other nations who are there to discuss trade and economic cooperation in the landlocked region. According to reports from Associated Press, China plans to develop coal, oil and gas, cotton and other industries in Xinjiang. Chen Xiaojiang, secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xinjiang Committee, stated that Xinjiang has become a vivid epitome of China's rapid economic development and fully reflected the significant advantages and vitality of China's governance. The region also has plans for a number of large infrastructure projects including more railways and flights.
Chen Xiaojiang, secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xinjiang Committee, stated that Xinjiang has become a vivid epitome of China's rapid economic development and fully reflected the significant advantages and vitality of China's governance. The region also has plans for a number of large infrastructure projects including more railways and flights, as reported by Associated Press. Like many other provinces in China's west, Xinjiang is poorer than the industrial east coast, with rural residents having per capita income of ₹13,052 yuan in 2020, compared to rural residents in wealthy Zhejiang province who had income of ₹31,930 yuan in 2020.
The region's economic disparity is one of the forces that led to turmoil that culminated in attacks by a small number of extremists among the Uyghurs. China then imprisoned a million or more people from ethnic minority groups, mostly Uyghurs, beginning in 2017. According to reports from Associated Press, the government said the detentions were a response to the attacks. By 2021, China said it had shut most of the detention centers, but at least a few camps were converted into facilities serving as prisons. Information leaked to The Associated Press showed thousands of Uyghurs were imprisoned with long sentences on what experts say were fabricated or exaggerated charges.
For those outside prison, particularly in areas of southern Xinjiang with large Uyghur populations, activists say forced participation in government jobs programs has been widespread and is increasing in China's latest five-year economic plan, according to human rights group Global Rights Compliance. The Chinese government has previously said what it calls 'anti-China forces' have exaggerated issues in Xinjiang by portraying authorities' counterterrorism and anti-extremism efforts as targeting specific ethnic, regional or religious groups.
China's annual Two Sessions convening from March 4-11 will reveal significant economic policy shifts, with Premier Li Qiang expected to announce a GDP growth target of 4.5%-5% - down from the previous three years' around 5% target. The government is likely to maintain fiscal discipline with a fiscal deficit ratio steady at 4% of GDP and CPI target at around 2%. Urban unemployment rate ceiling will remain steady at about 5.5%. The 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will emphasize technological sovereignty, with breakthroughs targeted in six key areas including semiconductor manufacturing, industrial software localization, and advanced materials development. Beijing aims to raise household consumption to 42-47% of GDP through expanded trade-in programs and strengthened social welfare measures.
