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Xinjiang launches ethnic integration activity: By Zhao Yusha in Global Times Published: 2016/10/19

The local government of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has encouraged its officials to build family-like ties with the ethnic minorities in order to promote national unity and accord.

Xinjiang held a meeting themed “family-like ethnic bonding” on Sunday, which advocated its 110,000 government officials to build one-to-one relationships with people in four prefectures – Kashgar, Hotan, Aksu and Kizilsu Kirgiz – in southern Xinjiang. Moreover, officials of central ministries as well 19 provinces that support Xinjiang are also required to participate in this activity, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

At the meeting, Xinjiang Party chief Chen Quanguo said that government officials and the family should visit each other every two months in order to build a close bond, learning from each other’s language, experiences and customs, as well as seeking common ground while preserving differences, according to a post on the regional government’s official website.

On Sunday afternoon, 31 officials from Xinjiang’s Department of Environmental Protection took the lead and visited 31 poor families in a small village in Wushi county in Aksu Prefecture, said the post.

Shao Feng, one of the officials, carried a bag full of gifts for the family he visited. In return, he was welcomed with big hugs and local food.

An official surnamed Yang from the Xinjiang Information Office told the Global Times on Tuesday that they just received the document on this meeting and are preparing to carry out the activity soon.

The move is aimed at improving the relationship between the ethnic groups of Uyghur and Han people, which was severely damaged by riots in 2009, Xiong Kunxin, a professor of ethnic studies at Beijing’s Minzu University of China, told the Global Times.

On July 5, 2009, riots in Urumqi left 197 people dead and more than 1,600 injured. Then in 2013, another riot in a town in Xinjiang killed 27 people, including 10 rioters.

“The activity highlights personal connection, which is the most effective way to eliminate misunderstanding and build up mutual respect,” said Xiong.

However, Pan Zhiping, a research fellow at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, expressed his concern about such activities, saying that the implementation and continuation of the activity faces the challenge of huge budget. Different customs may present another barrier to their communication, Pan added.

Qiemo county in southern Xinjiang, where around two-thirds of the residents are ethnic Uyghur and the rest are mostly Han, has piloted a policy since 2014, under which the county government would hand 50,000 yuan ($7,800) to newly-wed interethnic couples if one  of them is a Han, the China News Service reported in 2014. It added that such families can also enjoy additional allowances for schooling and medical costs.

There are 46 ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and the region has 23 million population. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1012191.shtml

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