ALTAY, China (AP) — 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. China plans to develop coal, oil and gas, cotton and other industries in Xinjiang. “Xinjiang has become a vivid epitome of China’s rapid economic development and fully reflected the significant advantages and vitality of China’s governance,” said Chen Xiaojiang, secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xinjiang Committee. The region also has plans for a number of large infrastructure projects including more railways and flights, Chen said.
Like many other provinces in China’s west, Xinjiang is poorer than the industrial east coast. Rural residents of the province had per capita income of 13,052 yuan ($1,927) in 2020, while rural residents in China’s wealthy province Zhejiang had income of 31,930 yuan ($4,714) in 2020.
