China issued a white paper on Xinjiang earlier this year in an attempt to help the world gain a clearer understanding of the autonomous region. In the paper, Beijing reiterates that Xinjiang is an inseparable part of the Chinese territory. 

Situated in northwest China, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is where the famed Silk Road connected ancient China with the rest of the world. It is a place that for centuries has been home to diverse cultures and peoples. 

The white paper stresses that never in Chinese history has Xinjiang been referred to as "East Turkistan," adding that it is a term often used by separatists and religious extremists to incite separatist movement in Xinjiang.

The paper goes on to say that Xinjiang has been a multi-ethnic region since ancient times and that Islam is neither indigenous nor the sole belief system of the Uygur people. 

The document also says that since the late 1970s and early 1980s, a surge in religious extremism around the world in turn caused a rise in extremism in Xinjiang.

The paper says, Xinjiang's fight against extremism is a battle for justice and civilization and it deserves respect and understanding.

"Forces of terrorists, separatists and religious extremists were making up stories and fabricating the history of Xinjiang. The release of the white paper actually lets people know about the history of the region and understand the historical matters concerning Xinjiang," professor Gao Jianlong from Xinjiang Normal University said.

For more than 2,000 years, Xinjiang has been a gateway for cultural exchange between the East and West.

Without mentioning any specific names, the paper says that some countries and individuals have applied double standards to the region.