Top official of China's Xinjiang stresses development to ensure stability

URUMQI, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- A top official of northwest China's Xinjiang said Tuesday the problems in the autonomous region, which has been scarred by a deadly riot, should be resolved by faster and scientific development.

Wang Lequan, secretary of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China made the remarks at a conference celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"In an economically under-developed region like Xinjiang, we must speed up economic development, shorten the gap between the region and coastal provinces, and ensure faster growth and better livelihood of people than neighboring countries," he said.

"Only by doing so can we beef up people's confidence and determination in construction of socialism with Chinese characteristic and in achieving unity and prosperous development of all ethnic groups," he said.

The far west autonomous region borders Russia, Mongolia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Its capital Urumqi was rocked by a riot on July 5, in which 197 people were killed.

Hundreds of people were stabbed by hypodermic syringes or needles in Urumqi in August and early this month, which triggered mass public anger.

As Xinjiang still faces a grave stability task, Wang noted, faster development is "the best reply to the 'three evil forces' of terrorism, separatism and extremism".