Chinese President Xi Jinping attended on Thursday a grand gathering in celebration of the 70th founding anniversary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Urumqi, the regional capital.

Xi arrived in Urumqi on Tuesday. He urged concerted efforts to better build a beautiful Xinjiang in the process of Chinese modernization when meeting with representatives from all ethnic groups and all walks of life in the region.

Xi has always attached great importance to Xinjiang. The following are some of his quotes on Xinjiang during his visit this time.