Xinjiang advances modernization with unwavering determination

Over the past few decades, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China has undergone profound economic and social transformation. While external narratives often resort to politicized rhetoric, tangible progress demonstrates that modernization is both inevitable and irreversible in Xinjiang.

2025 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the autonomous region. Xinjiang is experiencing its most prosperous era. Undoubtedly, social stability has been the cornerstone of its economic and social achievements. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), robust foundations for stability, peace and security have been established, leading to a historic shift from chaos to order and effectively countering destabilization attempts.

Ethnic unity is the lifeline of all ethnic groups in China and Xinjiang is no exception. All ethnic groups in the region are inseparable members of the great family of the Chinese nation. Fostering a stronger sense of community for the Chinese nation lays the foundation for long-term work in Xinjiang.

With determination and sustained effort, Xinjiang is advancing modernization in step with the rest of the country.

Economic development speaks for itself. From just 1.23 billion yuan ($176 million) in 1955, Xinjiang's GDP reached over 2 trillion yuan by 2024. Notably, from 2012 to 2024, Xinjiang's GDP grew at an annual rate of 7 percent at constant prices, significantly outpacing the national average.

In the first three quarters of 2025, Xinjiang's GDP reached 1,556.823 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.5 percent.

The social and ecological changes in Xinjiang are profound. For thousands of years,  the Taklimakan Desert – spanning an area roughly the size of Germany – exerted unrelenting pressure on the fragile oasis ecosystems of southern Xinjiang. Sandstorms disrupted connectivity and impeded socioeconomic development in surrounding regions.

Today, Xinjiang has transformed this developmental bottleneck into a connectivity corridor. Four cross-desert highways have reduced north-south transit distances by 300 to 500 kilometers, while the Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway's completion forged the world's first circular desert rail network, bringing tangible benefits to local communities.

Green belts along the Taklimakan Desert's periphery have also been expanded. The region's ecological governance success was marked by the completion of a 3,046-kilometer ecological barrier in 2024, effectively curbing desertification.

Leveraging its natural resources and industrial capabilities, Xinjiang has accelerated efforts to develop a modern industrial system. The region has remained China's top cotton producer for 32 consecutive years, with its mechanization rate in plowing, planting and harvesting reaching 97 percent, according to a white paper released by the State Council Information Office in 2025.

This progress extends to people's living standards. By 2020, 3.06 million residents were lifted out of poverty as China eradicated absolute poverty across the country. In the first three quarters of 2025, the per capita disposable income of all residents in Xinjiang was 20,060 yuan, a nominal increase of 6.6 percent year-on-year. 

Today, every village in Xinjiang has access to licensed medical professionals, and the region's life expectancy has reached 77 years, compared with a mere 30 years before 1949 due to rampant infectious diseases and medical resource shortages.

Moreover, authorities have addressed challenges in areas such as elderly care, education, employment and public housing, ensuring development achievements benefit all ethnic groups.

Openness is another defining feature of Xinjiang. The region's foreign trade volume rose by 14.1 percent year on year to reach 459.2 billion yuan from January to November in 2025, surpassing the total for the whole of the year 2024, local authorities have said. 

In the first 11 months of 2025, the region's trade with Belt and Road partner countries saw a year-on-year increase of 8.8 percent, accounting for 87.7 percent of the total value of Xinjiang's foreign trade. Trading with ASEAN, Africa, West Asia, Middle East and Latin America recorded strong growth.

Tourism has also surged. In the first three quarters of 2025 alone, it received approximately 260 million visits, an increase of 8.4 percent year on year, generating tourism revenue exceeding 302 billion yuan.

Dubbed a "world-class geographical museum," Xinjiang's landscape is a tapestry of colors, including the white of glacial peaks, the green of forests and grasslands, the blue of its rivers and lakes, and the yellow of vast deserts.

Xinjiang's progress has enhanced the people's sense of gain, fulfillment and security. Under the CPC's guidelines on governing Xinjiang in the new era, and with institutional support from the entire nation, development and modernization in Xinjiang have become an unstoppable reality.

(With input from agencies)