Overview

• Xi Jinping became the first Chinese president to attend Xinjiang’s 70th anniversary events in Urumqi, meeting representatives from multiple ethnic groups.
• State media said Xi urged officials to spare no effort to maintain social stability, build a strong defense against terrorism, and shape views on country, history, ethnicity, culture and religion.
• Xi pressed for competitive industrial clusters, stronger science and technology, and a larger role for Xinjiang in China’s dual-circulation strategy.
• Xinjiang officials acknowledged that U.S. sanctions have hurt exports and employment, with Washington’s latest January action barring imports from 37 Chinese firms, as the U.S. continues to label Beijing’s actions as genocide.
• At Thursday’s ceremony, Wang Huning praised the region’s governance in Xi’s “new era” as “completely correct,” reinforcing Beijing’s line on ethnic policy and social control.