Photo: Xinhua

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspected a university, an international land port area, a residential community and a museum in the city of Urumqi, capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning.

Xi visited Xinjiang University, the Urumqi International Land Port Area, the community of Guyuanxiang in the Tianshan District and the Museum of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

He learned about the work in nurturing talent, coordinating COVID-19 response with economic and social development, promoting ethnic unity and progress and consolidating the sense of community for the Chinese nation, among others.

It is Xi's second inspection to Xinjiang in eight years. 

During his visit to the Urumqi International Land Port Area, he observed the operation of various functional areas of the China-Europe Freight Train (Urumqi) assembly center and the Alashankou and Khorgos ports on real-time video.

The Belt and Road Initiative has yielded fruitful results since it was initiated. As the joint building of BRI continues to advance, Xinjiang is no longer a remote region but a core area and a hub. What you have done is of historic significance, Xi said.

During his visit to the community of Guyuanxiang in the Tianshan district, Xi said he pays great attention to community work and he is very glad to see local community thriving. 

"We must be down-to-earth, understand what the people are thinking and hoping for, and do our work according to their needs. We need to build community-level Party organizations well, truly playing their role as fortresses, so that people of all ethnic groups lead happier lives," Xi said.  

Xi also watched Manas performance and said the Chinese civilization is extensive and profound and has a long history stretching back to antiquity. It is made up of the fine traditional cultures of all ethnic groups. Cultural heritages such as Manas are valuable assets of both ethnic minorities and the Chinese nation. We need to protect and carry on the cultural heritages so that they can thrive.