Chinese Central Gov't Lays out Development Plan for Xinjiang

The Chinese central government has laid out a package of new policies, charting a development path for the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region over the next decade.

Experts say the policies demonstrate the government's determination to improve people's livelihood and achieve lasting stability in the remote region.

At a central work conference on Xinjiang's development, Chinese President Hu Jintao vowed to comprehensively push forward the region's economic and social development over the next decade.

He said that Xinjiang can fulfill the goal to achieve a more prosperous society in all aspects by 2020.

The president also noted that per capita GDP in Xinjiang will catch up with the country's average level by 2015.
He promised to invest more in order to improve the region's public services and to provide local people with a "modern and civilized" living environment.

Yang Siyuan, a professor with the Beijing-based Minzu University of China, says it's important to focus more efforts on improving the local people's livelihood.

"The economic development of Xinjiang should bring tangible benefits to all its residents. This is the foundation for ethnic solidarity and long-term stability in the region."

Xinjiang is one of the most underdeveloped regions in China despite its rapid economic growth in recent years.
Statistics show that the average annual income of its residents only accounts for 70 percent of the average national level.

Meanwhile, speaking at the same conference, Premier Wen Jiabao said the central government has decided to launch major support policies for Xinjiang.

He said that Xinjiang will become the first region in China to start reforming resource taxes with a shift instead to tax crude oil and natural gases by price rather than volume.

Li Xiaoxia, a researcher at the Xinjiang Regional Academy of Social Sciences, says the policy will strengthen the region's ability to be self-reliant in its development.

"Xinjiang is rich in natural resources, especially oil and natural gas. Thus, the reform of resource tax will greatly increase the revenue of the regional government."

The oil and natural gas reserves discovered in Xinjiang make up 30 percent of the country's total amount discovered on land.

Last year alone, the region supplied the country with nearly 55 million tons of oil and natural gas, comprising a quarter of the country's total energy supply.

For CRI, I'm Wu Jia.