China's top legislator Li Peng said that the completion of Nanjiang Railway will help accelerate economic development and bring prosperity to southern Xinjiang in northwestern China.

Li, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee who has just returned from his visit to six Asian and African countries, attended the ceremony on the opening of the 1, 446-km South Xinjiang Railway (from Kashi to Turpan) in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The southern part of Xinjiang, bordering on five Asian nations, covers a total area of 1.06 million square kilometers and has a population of 7.66 million.

Li pointed out that the central government has always attached great importance to the economic development of the western part of China.

"The construction of the railway represents an important step taken by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council to accelerate the development in western China and promote economic and social development in Xinjiang," he said.

Li said the central government has worked out an economic blueprint for China's west and encouraged the regional government to take every opportunity to build the local economy.

He called on the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang to safeguard social stability and unification of the motherland. Great changes have taken place in Xinjiang over the past years due to a peaceful and stable social environment, he added.

Li, who attended the foundation laying ceremony for the railway project three years ago, stressed that priority should be given to ensure transportation safety of the railway through reinforced scientific management.

The railway consists of two parts, the Turpan-Korla section built in 1984 and the Korla-Kashi section opened to traffic on December 6.

Construction of the Korla-Kashi section started in September 1996, costing 6.3 billion yuan. This section has an annual handling capacity of 10 million tons.