By Yasir Habib Khan

Copyright pakobserver

WHEN going gets tough then tough gets going.

This proverb fits well with Xinjiang case that completes its 70 years as tenacious and resilient region rising to global prominence as one of the best embodiments of all-embracing success. Credit goes to CPC leadership that has made this happen. Having neutralized barrage of challenges especially poverty, backwardness and western fake smear campaigns, China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is now presenting a scene of diversified development, with new high-quality productivity, micro- and macro-economy, art, culture, faith and social values that meet the needs of all social fabric and ethnicity.

Credit goes to China’s local and central governments for channeling vast resources to transform Xinjiang into a powerhouse of international trade, a vital logistics and economic corridor, and a thriving hub of modern agricultural, industrial, and infrastructure development. In the past, the streets were jammed with donkey carts in Hotan who used to work in Hotan Prefecture in southern Xinjiang. Today, donkey carts belong to museums. Families get around on e-bikes, motorcycles or cars — and some families even have several cars. Households also own more washing machines, refrigerators and computers than they did in 2012, according to the white paper issued by Chinese government.

Xinjiang, once among the most impoverished regions in China, has witnessed a remarkable turnaround. Thanks to a nationwide poverty-reduction campaign launched in 2012, all 3.06 million rural residents living in poverty were lifted out by the end of 2020. Today, every village has access to licensed medical professionals, and life expectancy has soared to 77 years, compared with just 30 years before 1949 when infectious diseases and medical shortages were rampant. This transformation is nothing short of a miracle. Xinjiang Software Park now serves as a bridge connecting China and abroad for cultural and economic exchanges, while Horgos Port and Alashankou Port, also known as Alataw Pass, have emerged as primary rail gateways on the China-Kazakhstan border. Their success stories highlight how Xinjiang’s cargo infrastructure is advancing with flying colours, reinforcing the region’s role as a vital hub of growth and connectivity.

Horgos Port, handled over 7,000 China-Europe (Central Asia) freight train trips since the beginning of this year 2025. The railway port processes freight train trips along 90 operational routes linking 46 cities and regions across 18 countries. Xinjiang port is mainstay of the China-Europe (Central Asia) freight train servicer that shipped more than 220,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of finished automobiles in 2024. With determination and hard work, Xinjiang is advancing modernization in step with the rest of the country. Economic development speaks for itself. From just 1.23 billion Yuan (173.1 million U.S. dollars) in 1955, Xinjiang’s GDP reached over 2 trillion Yuan by 2024. Notably, from 2012 to 2024, Xinjiang’s GDP grew at an annual rate of 7 percent at constant prices — significantly outpacing the national average.

In Xinjiang, basic education has become fairer and higher in quality. Since 2012, 47.9 billion Yuan in fiscal education funding has been invested to improve the facilities of primary and secondary schools in Xinjiang. Today, there is one kindergarten for every 106 children in Xinjiang, and one primary school for every 817 students, he added. Significant progress has also been made in combating desertification. The Taklimakan Desert is now encircled by a sand-blocking green belt stretching 3,046 kilometers — the longest in the world.

People plant economic crops such as red dates in the desert, which both prevent sand encroachment and increase their incomes. The people of Xinjiang are genuinely reaping the benefits of ecological conservation. Today, Xinjiang has made a turnaround. The above connectivity corridor is addressed. Four cross-desert highways have reduced north-south transit distances by 300-500 kilo meters, while the Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway’s completion forged the world’s first circular desert rail network, establishing visible benefits to local communities.

Green belts along the Taklimakan Desert’s periphery have been expanded. The region’s ecological governance success was marked by the completion of a 3,046-kilometer ecological barrier in 2024, effectively curbing desertification. Before setting foot in Xinjiang, one of the media delegations of which I was part in 2024 was under the influence of Western deceptive narratives that ethnic minorities are subject to injustices.

Frankly speaking, most of visitors used to enter China as sceptic. However, as they start visiting places, interacting with people and talking to the local minorities, it becomes clear that Western stories were nothing more than mythical and fictional dramas that had nothing to do with reality. Seeing is believing. Hence, myths pertaining to discrimination against ethnic minorities in China were proven to be complete fabrications. Delegates visited minority groups living in the modern village of Chabuchar county in Yining, Xinjiang. Seeing the living standards, bustling life, school education, civic amenities, surrounding ambience, well-furnished homes and livelihood, all their questions and doubts were answered.

I witnessed how the local government made it possible for them to set up new businesses to improve their income. Each shop in the village makes between 10,000 Yuan ($1,405) to 15,000 Yuan. Besides ancestral occupation of animal husbandry, minority youth have been securing jobs in nearby factories in economic zones. Some have also joined the agriculture profession, carrying on the family line of business. The lawful rights and interests of the people of all ethnicities in Xinjiang have been effectively protected. All ethnic groups, regardless of their population size, have equal legal status and enjoy freedom of religious belief and various rights in accordance with the law. These rights include participation in state affairs, access to education, use of their own languages and preservation of their traditional culture.

Openness is another defining feature of Xinjiang. The region’s total foreign trade jumped to 435.11 billion Yuan in 2024, attaining 21.8 percent year-on-year growth. It’s beyond doubt that Xinjiang ranks among the world’s most desired travel destinations. The region welcomed 302 million tourist arrivals in 2024, with its public security satisfaction rate remaining exceptionally high at 99.42 percent, an embodiment to its safe and stable environment.

—The writer is contributing columnist.

(yaseerkhan@hotmail.com)