Xi's remarks after Xinjiang inspection tour

Unofficial translation and footnotes

From July 12th to the 15th, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Xinjiang, inspecting various locations in the capital city of Urumqi and the cities of Shihezi and Turpan.

At the end of his tour, Xi chaired a meeting with senior Xinjiang officials, listened to their reports and made remarks.

The official Xinhua News Agency released a (photo-rich) full account of Xi’s inspection tour, including Xi’s remarks. This newsletter will try to offer a translation of those remarks, along with footnotes for some important terms. Here’s an English report by Xinhua, it’s not a translation of Xi’s remarks but summed up the trip pretty well. Your host’s been told that there will be a more official translation to be released later.

Some of the languages may resonate with Xi’s older speeches, so you are encouraged to refer to those for better context.

15日上午，习近平听取了新疆自治区党委和政府、新疆生产建设兵团工作汇报，对新疆各项工作取得的成绩给予肯定，希望自治区党委和政府团结带领广大干部群众，同心协力，砥砺前进，扎实做好新疆各项工作。

On the morning of the 15th, Xi Jinping listened to the work report of the party committee and government of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC). He approved of the achievements Xinjiang had made and expressed hope that the Xinjiang party committee and government would promote unity and exercise leadership as they carry on with their work.

【On Stability】

习近平指出，要聚焦新疆工作总目标①，推动事关长治久安的根本性、基础性、长远性工作。要不断探索全面贯彻新时代党的治疆方略的有效办法，把党中央要求落实到实际行动上和工作成效上，确保新疆工作始终沿着正确方向前进。新疆保持长期稳定最重要的在于人心。要坚持团结一致向前看，最大限度发挥广大干部群众在保稳定、谋发展、促改革中的积极作用，注意倾听社会各界意见。要推动维稳工作法治化常态化。要多层次、全方位、立体式开展涉疆对外宣传，完善“请进来”②工作，讲好中国新疆故事。

Xi Jinping pointed out that Xinjiang should focus on the overarching goal of Xinjiang① and conduct fundamental, basic, and far-visioned work to ensure lasting peace in Xinjiang. Xinjiang needs to continuously explore effective ways to comprehensively implement the party's new era strategy for governing Xinjiang, translate the directives of the CPC central committee into actual work and tangible results, and ensure the governance of Xinjiang always stays on the right track. The key to preserving lasting peace in Xinjiang lies in the hearts and minds of the Xinjiang people. Xinjiang needs to stay united and forward-looking, maximize the positive potentials of the people and officials in maintaining stability, seek development, and promote reform. Xinjiang needs to listen to the views of all sectors of society and ensure that stability is maintained in accordance with the law and on a regular basis. Xinjiang needs to conduct multi-level, all-around, three-dimensional communication of Xinjiang affairs with the outside world, improve initiatives to invite people to Xinjiang②, and have Xinjiang story told well.

① The overarching goal of Xinjiang is social stability and lasting security （社会稳定和长治久安）, as pointed out by Xi at the Second Central Work Conference on Xinjiang in 2014.

②“请进来”, or literally “inviting in“, is a common policy of inviting people for incoming exchange. Normally it refers to inviting a targeted group of people with specific qualities or skills.

【On Ethnic affairs】

习近平强调，要铸牢中华民族共同体意识③，促进各民族交往交流交融。中华文明是新疆各民族文化的根脉所在。要教育引导广大干部群众正确认识新疆历史特别是民族发展史，树牢中华民族历史观，铸牢中国心、中华魂，特别是要深入推进青少年“筑基”工程，构筑中华民族共有精神家园。要推动各族群众逐步实现在空间、文化、经济、社会、心理等方面的全方位嵌入，促进各民族像石榴籽一样紧紧抱在一起。

Xi Jinping stressed fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation③, promoting exchanges, interactions and integration among different ethnic groups. Chinese civilization is the root of the culture of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang. Xinjiang needs to educate and guide the officials and people to correctly understand the history of Xinjiang, especially the history of ethnic development, so that a historical view of the Chinese nation can be widely accepted. Xinjiang needs to help people search for a Chinese heart and soul, with a focus on the younger generation, so that all ethnicities share a common spiritual home of the Chinese nation. The goal is to help all ethnic groups remain closely united like the seeds of a pomegranate that stick together., physically, culturally, economically, socially, and psychologically.

③ The term sense of community for the Chinese nation (中华民族共同体意识) also first appeared in Xi’s speech at the 2014 meeting on Xinjiang. Later in 2014, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued "Opinions on Strengthening and Improving Ethnic Work under the New Situations", which expanded on the term. The document stated

《意见》要求，要积极培育中华民族共同体意识，引导各族干部群众深刻认识中国是全国各族人民共同缔造的国家，中华文化是包括56个民族的文化，中华文明是各民族共同创造的文明，中华民族是各民族共有的大家庭。

The opinion requires the cultivation of the sense of community for the Chinese nation. Officials and people of all ethnic groups shall be guided to fully recognize that China is a country jointly built by all ethnic groups, the Chinese culture includes the culture of 56 ethnic groups, the Chinese civilization is jointly created by all ethnic groups, and that the Chinese nation is a family that is shared by all ethnic groups.

【On Religion】

习近平指出，要提升宗教事务治理能力，实现宗教健康发展。要更好坚持伊斯兰教中国化方向，使宗教与社会主义社会相适应。要培养一支精通马克思主义宗教观、熟悉宗教工作、善于做信教群众工作的党政干部队伍，培养一支政治上靠得住、宗教上有造诣、品德上能服众、关键时起作用的宗教界代表人士队伍，培养一支思想政治坚定、坚持马克思主义宗教观、学风优良、善于创新的宗教学研究队伍。要保障信教群众正常宗教需求，把信教群众牢牢团结在党和政府周围。

Xi Jinping pointed out the need to improve governance capacity of religious affairs and realize the healthy development of religions. Enhanced efforts should be made to uphold the principle that Islam in China must be Chinese in orientation, and to adapt religions to socialist society. Xinjiang needs to cultivate a talent pool of party and government officials who are proficient in Marxist views on religion, familiar with religious work, and is well plugged-in with people of faith. Xinjiang needs to formulate a group of religious representatives who are politically reliable, religiously attained, morally convincing, and reliable at crucial moments. Xinjiang also needs to train a cohort of religious scholars who are firm in ideology and politics, adhere to Marxist’s view on religion, excel academically, and are innovative. The normal religious needs of religious believers should be ensured and they should be united closely around the Party and the government.

【On Cultural Identity】

习近平指出，要以增强认同为目标，深入开展文化润疆。文化认同是最深层次的认同。要端正历史文化认知，突出中华文化特征和中华民族视觉形象。要多角度全方位构建展现中华文化共同性、新疆同内地各民族交往交流交融历史事实的话语体系和有效载体，让中华文化通过实物实景实事得到充分展现、直抵人心，教育引导各族群众树立正确的国家观、历史观、民族观、文化观、宗教观，增进对伟大祖国、中华民族、中华文化、中国共产党、中国特色社会主义的认同。

Xi Jinping stressed the goal of enhancing recognition, and using culture to sooth Xinjiang. Cultural identity is the highest level of identity. Xinjiang needs help its people correct cognition of historical and cultural issues, highlight Chinese cultural characteristics and visual images of the Chinese nation. Xinjiang needs to construct multi-angled and all-round discourse and effective carriers to showcase the commonality of Chinese culture and the historical interaction between Xinjiang and the various ethnic groups in the hinterland, so that Chinese culture can reach the hearts of people through with the help of exhibited objects, scenarios and facts. This way, Xinjiang can educate and guide all ethnic groups to establish a correct view of the country, history, ethnicity, culture and religion, and strengthen their identification with the motherland, the Chinese nation, Chinese culture, the CPC and socialism with Chinese characteristics.

【On balancing economic development and environmental protection】

习近平强调，要深刻认识发展和稳定、发展和民生、发展和人心的紧密联系，推动发展成果惠及民生、凝聚人心。要加快经济高质量发展，培育壮大特色优势产业，增强吸纳就业能力。要把巩固脱贫攻坚成果同乡村振兴有效衔接起来，健全乡村可持续发展长效机制。要坚持山水林田湖草沙一体化保护和系统治理，推进生态优先、绿色发展，深入打好污染防治攻坚战，严守生态保护红线。要加大对外开放力度，打造向西开放④的桥头堡，推进丝绸之路经济带核心区建设。

Xi Jinping stressed the need to deeply understand the close connection between development and stability, development and people's livelihood, development and people's hearts, and said the achievements of development should better benefit people's well-being and rally people's support. Xinjiang needs to accelerate high-quality economic development, cultivate and grow industries with special advantages, and enhance job-creation. Xinjiang needs to effectively connect the poverty eradication and rural revitalization campaigns, and improve the long-term mechanism of sustainable development in rural areas. Xinjiang needs to integrate protection and management of the mountain, water, forest, lake, grass and sand, prioritize the environment and green development, carry on with the battle against pollution and hold firm to the red line of ecological conservation. Xinjiang needs to further open up, invent itself as a west-facing④ bridgehead and a core area of the Silk Road economic belt.

④Here west-facing refers to the west of Xinjiang, or Central Asia, not the West in the geopolitical sense.

【On party building】

习近平指出，要坚持全面从严治党，切实抓好高素质干部队伍建设。要坚持严的主基调，以党的政治建设为统领推进党的各方面建设，严肃政治纪律和政治规矩。要巩固拓展党史学习教育成果，教育引导广大党员、干部坚定理想信念，传承红色基因，赓续红色血脉。要夯实基层基础，把各领域基层党组织建设成为坚强战斗堡垒。要切实改进基层工作作风，坚决克服官僚主义、形式主义。要优化党政领导班子结构，注重发挥少数民族干部作用。

Xi Jinping pointed out that party authorities must exercise full and rigorous self-governance, and effectively improve the quality of its officials. Xinjiang needs to strike a strict tone, promote all-aspect party-building by prioritizing political construct, and seriously enforce political discipline and political rules. Xinjiang needs to consolidate and expand the results of party history education, educate and guide party members and officials to reaffirm their ideals and beliefs, inherit the red gene, continue the red bloodline. Xinjiang party organizations needs to strengthen its foundation at the grass-roots, and fortify its grass-roots party organizations to become strong fighting bastions. Xinjiang needs to effectively improve its working style at the grassroots level, and resolutely overcome bureaucracy and formalism. Xinjiang party organization needs to optimize the structure of leadership bodies, and give full play to the roles of ethnic cadres.

【On the XPCC】

习近平强调，兵团要适应新形势新要求，在实现新疆工作总目标中发挥更大作用。要坚持兵地一盘棋，重大基础设施同步建设，全面推进兵地经济、社会、文化、生态文明建设和民族团结进步、干部人才等方面的融合发展，实现设施共建、资源共享、深度嵌入、优势互补。

Xi Jinping stressed that the XPCC should adapt to the new landscape and new demands, and play a greater role in achieving the overarching goal of Xinjiang. Xinjiang and the XPCC need to better coordinate, and synchronize on major infrastructure constructions. Xinjiang and the XPCC should comprehensively coordinate to promote the overall development of economy, society, culture, ecological civilization and ethnic group unity, and talent sharing, to achieve the goal of jointly constructing infrastructure, sharing resources, deep inter-connection and complementing strengths.

【On Xinjiang’s importance】

习近平指出，做好新疆工作事关大局，是全党全国的大事。全党都要站在战略和全局高度认识新疆工作的重要性，加大对口援疆工作⑤力度，完善对口援疆工作机制，共同把新疆的工作做好，以实际行动迎接党的二十大胜利召开。

Xi Jinping pointed out that whether Xinjiang is well-governed is closely tied the overall picture, and it is the will of the entire party and country to see to it that it is. The entire party needs to recognized the importance of the governance of Xinjiang from a position of strategical height, increase pairing assistance⑤ to Xinjiang, improve the mechanism of pairing assistance to Xinjiang, work together to improve governance in Xinjiang, and take concrete action to welcome the victory of the 20th Party Congress.

⑤ Pairing assistance refers to a mechanism that a Chinese province directly offers aid to certain Xinjiang cities or counties. While the mechanism existed before 2010, it was solidified in an assistance pairing conference in 2010. In that meeting, 19 provinces and cities are paired up with 82 counties in Xinjiang and 12 divisions of the XPCC. In practice, the provinces would further break down the work to its cities or SoEs for implementation.

Disclaimer: The translation offered by this newsletter is done in a personal capacity and should NOT be taken as an authoritative translation. Please refer to the original text for the most precise meaning.