Daily Times

It is a matter of fact that China is a rich multi-cultured and multi-ethnic country with more than 5000-year-old history of human civilization where people of different ethnicities are living in a unified and integrated manner. Historically, Xinjiang has been home to different ethnicities from very ancient times. It has played a very important role to become a gateway and medium through which Chinese civilization opened to the West, as the ancient Silk Road opened a new chapter in cultural exchanges and integration between East and the West.

I have just come back from Xinjiang after attending the 12th Session of Xinjiang People’s Political Consultative Conference as a nonvoting delegate. I am proud of being able to attend this meeting and had a chance to witness the latest development in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang has always been an integral part of China. After the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949 under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xinjiang entered a new era of prosperity and development equally shared by all ethnic groups. Today under the visionary leadership of President Xi Jinping and with his futuristic approach and programme of huge reforms and with very clear line of command, Xinjiang is set on a highway of peace and common prosperity to make the Chinese dream achievable. Xinjiang now enjoys social stability, fast economic development and ethnic harmony. The education and training measures taken by the local government prove to be very effective which have not only effectively prevented the infiltration of religious extremism but also provided employment skills.

The one-party system of governance has gradually transformed in the last four decades, giving rise to China’s own idea of communism and continuously working in progress to meet the needs and aspirations of its 1.4 billion people. In reality, the rest of the world has to learn from the Chinese one-party system which has opened new horizons for the wellbeing of their people.

There is another very open example of wisdom of the Chinese leadership. The western world has always tried to create divisions in the world to remain in power but China’s perspective is totally opposite from the western thinking, which aims at connecting to the world by the futuristic approach. President Xi Jinping initiated Belt and Road Initiative for the peace and prosperity of the world with the idea of poverty alleviation thorough economic and cultural connectivity of the world’s nations, especially the developing nations of the world, by presenting a long-term solution for sustainable peace through mutually shared beneficial future for all.

Today Xinjiang is ready to become the center stage of development and progress through achievements in science and technology, industrial revolution and with the instruments of peace and prosperity with the great hardwork, strong determination, extraordinary devotion and with purity of intentions of its people which is unprecedented in the history of the world in very short span of time.

China’s 40 years of reforms and opening-up and advancements in science and technology, space programme, development in high-speed railways industry, infrastructure developments, advancements in constructions of bridges and tunnels is another great example of strong commitment of sharing its experience of development with the world. Xinjiang will become the gateway for the world to connect with Chinese markets to take benefit from the developments.

China is gradually achieving its rightful place in the center stage of the world and opening its doors to the world to show commitment to sustainable economic development by upgrading the life style of ordinary people, reforms in every segments of the society, working to develop the basic necessities of life for the common people and also working to bring positive changes in general behaviour of different ethnic groups to promote sense of responsibility by giving them skillful education to make them useful and productive part of society. The world, especially the immediate neighbouring nations, can take benefit from the Chinese achievements and developments.

Xinjiang is the gateway to achieve desired objectives of common prosperity of each and every Chinese ethnicity individually and as a great nation of the world collectively for more developed future leading with their own examples of achievement and progress.

As a descendant of Chinese Uyghur nationality living in Pakistan, I am proud of the remarkable achievements by China and in my hometown – Xinjiang. We overseas Chinese in Pakistan should work even harder to play a bigger role to further connect the two great nations to achieve the real fruits of shared beneficial future as win-win for both, and to make our due contribution for the further development of China-Pakistan long standing friendship as well.

Published in Daily Times, January 28^th 2019.