AP reports on development plans for Xinjiang, almost a year after ethnic riots hit the capital Urumqi:
Various regions across Xinjiang, including 82 cities and towns, will received investment from 19 provinces and municipalities around China next year to help improve housing, employment and education opportunities under the plan, the state-owned China Daily newspaper reported Wednesday.
The plan aims to increase living standards, build the region into a “well-off society” after 10 years and maintain long-term stability, the newspaper said, citing a report in Oriental Outlook magazine, a publication of the official Xinhua News Agency.
The report in the magazine was published late last month. No reason was given why the China Daily did not report the news until Wednesday.
…The plan calls for pairing financially strong regions such as manufacturing-powerhouse Guangdong province and Beijing with less-developed cities in Xinjiang, such as Hotan and Kashgar, the China Daily reported. It did not give financial figures but said areas outside Xinjiang will be required to provide training and education in addition to financial support.
The program will be launched in 2011 and is expected to yield significant results within five years, Vice Premier Li Keqiang was quoted as saying by the China Daily.
