Further opening up the economy of Xinjiang and boosting its trade with neighbouring countries are the keys to the region's rapid development, Vice-Premier Li Keqiang said yesterday as he opened the first China-Eurasia Expo in the regional capital, Urumqi .
Xinhua quoted Li as saying that the government was working to accelerate the opening up of Xinjiang by setting up special economic zones in two border cities, restructuring local industries, expanding the number of border trade ports, and implementing financial measures to encourage the use of the yuan in cross-border trade and investment.
Li also urged neighbouring countries to fast track cross-border infrastructure projects - roads, railways, airports, pipelines and telecommunication networks - to explore the full potential of transport across the Eurasian heartland.
In a bid to stem unrest in the region - where the former Uygur majority is outnumbered by Han Chinese and where ethnic clashes in July 2009 left nearly 200 people dead - the Communist Party has vowed to pursue rapid development and long-term peace and stability by providing the region with huge amounts of capital and human resources.
Security was extremely tight in and around the expo venue in an Urumqi suburb, with scores of policemen carrying machine guns patrolling and all those attending the event, including reporters, being subjected to head-to-toe security checks.
There have been reports that Urumqi had been targeted for terrorist attacks, with Urumqi party secretary Zhu Hailun saying on Wednesday that police had thwarted several attempts to sabotage public safety in the run-up to the event, Xinhua reported.