China hints at Xinjiang policy shift ahead of key summit chaired by Xi Jinping
- Chinese officials and state media claim ‘interim success’ in troubled region
- Third Work Conference could take place this summer
China’s state-run news agency Xinhua published a review on June 27 of the past five years in a move described as “preparing the ground” for the next Central Xinjiang Work Conference, which sets policy direction for the region.
Describing Xinjiang as “the main battleground in China’s anti-terror war”, Xinhua hailed current policy as “an interim success”, a term which has been common among the region’s Xinjiang officials of late. The Xinhua report said the fight against terrorism and extremism had been effective, with no terror attacks in the region for the past 30 months.
A senior lecturer from the Central Party School, which trains senior party cadres, told the South China Morning Post the term “major interim success”, usually meant the “top leadership believes the policy has achieved its desired goal, and it is time to revisit the issue and fine-tune the policy if necessary”. He requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
One source familiar with the situation said “the chance of a third Xinjiang Work Conference this summer is quite high. It has been five years [since the previous conference] and the official media are preparing the ground, a pattern we always see.”