Central officials visit Kashgar ahead of Xinjiang autonomy anniversary

Top Chinese political advisor Yu Zhengsheng on Saturday led a central government delegation to visit the old Silk Road area of Kashgar, ahead of the 60th anniversary of founding of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The delegation that is to attend a grand celebration on Oct. 1, were greeted by local officials and residents in festive attire from Kashgar, center of the Uygur civilization and once an important staging post along the ancient Silk Road.

Yu met with local officials, representitives of people from all walks of life, cadres sent to support Xinjiang and graduates working in township governments.

Yu vowed to maintain heavy-handed pressure to fight terrorism and safeguard local people's peaceful life, stressing long-term stability is the main goal for the region, at a symposium held to mark the founding anniversary.

He called for efforts to boost local economy, increase employment, raise people's living standards and consolidate ethnic unity, asking local officials to improve their work style and work concerning religion.

During his one-day tour, Yu visited the Id Kah Mosque in the ancient city of Kashgar, China's largest mosque built in 1442.

The leader spoke highly of contributions made by religious figures to safeguard social stability of Xinjiang, particularly in the southern part of the region.

"Religious figures should be brave enough to declare their stand at critical moments and continue taking a leading role in opposing extremism and promoting unity of various ethnic groups," he said.

During the visit to the city's economic development zone, Yu inspected production lines of electronic products and encouraged enterprises to invest in Kashgar.

On Satuarday afternoon, Yu also paid a visit to the southern Xinjiang military area. Stressing the important position of the region, he urged the army to sharpen their fighting capacity to ensure lasting peace in Xinjiang. Endi