No discrimination against Xinjiang people: Uygur official

Ethnic groups in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have never been exposed to discrimination in employment and education, in fact, they have enjoyed preferential treatment, a Uygur official said.

China has always held that there should be no discrimination of any kind directed toward an ethnic group, said Shewket Imin, an official with the Xinjiang regional committee of the Communist Party of China.

He made the remarks while answering reporters' questions at a press conference on Thursday when the State Council Information Office issued a white paper titled "Freedom of Religious Belief in Xinjiang."

"I am a Uygur. In my family, we have never experienced any discrimination," said Shewket.

"Instead, we have been respected and protected. For instance, we are given special treatment when applying to college," he said.

Shewket said he was accepted on to a college course with a lower exam score than the minimum requirement.

"Taking my children for example. My daughter is a PhD graduate at Beijing Normal University. She received Uygur language education in her childhood and studied Chinese at bachelor and doctor stages, and of course [she learned] English," the official said.

"My son graduated from the Renmin University of China with a bachelor degree in human resource management. He then finished his master's in Boston, the United States, and has just returned," he continued, stressing that these achievements were in no way linked with his official status.

In Xinjiang, no matter the officials or the ordinary people, their children have all been given special treatment in terms of schooling, he said.

China offers classes for students from Xinjiang at high schools in other inland regions. More than 90 percent of the students are from ethnic groups in Xinjiang, and 99 percent of them have been admitted to colleges or universities, according to Shewket.

In some well-developed cities in Xinjiang, there are also junior high classes specifically for children from less-developed areas in the autonomous region.

These students can go on to high schools in inland regions and later colleges, Shewket said.

The ethnic people in Xinjiang also enjoy preferential policies in employment, and their employment is basically ensured, the official said.

Overall, the regional government spends over 70 percent of its fiscal resources on improving the people's well-being and has done a good job in securing jobs for ethnic groups.

The employment issue is resolved through combined efforts from the government, individuals and various sectors of society, said Shewket. Endi