The delegation of deputies to the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC) from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, who are attending the NPC Third Session, held a get-together in Beijing Wednesday morning to mark the grand Islamic festival of the Corban, or the Animal-Slaughtering Festival.

Tomur Dawamat, vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, and other regional officials from Xinjiang were present at Corban get- together.

At the festive party, Wang Lequan, secretary of the Autonomous Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), extended congratulations to Muslim people in Xinjiang on behalf of the regional CPC committee and regional government.

In his address, the autonomous regional leader attached great importance to the central government's strategy pertaining to large-scale development of the western region, which he described as very encouraging to the people of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.

Moreover, he noted, the strategy has provided Xinjiang with historic opportunities and enabled it to usher into the phase of large-scale development. Xinjiang will optimize its economic structure, step up environmental protection, speed up the development of science, technology and education, in an effort to turn itself into one of the most open areas of the country in the 21st century, he added.

With a total regional population of more than 17 million, Xinjiang has about 10 million Muslims.