China Establishes Study Center on XinjiangChina on Thursday established its first study center on Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China.The Xinjiang Development Research Center in Beijing, under the nation's top think tank Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), plans to organize the most influential experts on borderland and underdeveloped areas to focus on the political, economic, social, ethnic, religious and ecological situations in Xinjiang. CASS president Li Tieying said that the development and modernization of Xinjiang are key issues of the nation's ambitious westward development project. Covering one-sixth of the area of the country, Xinjiang witnessed exchanges between Western and Eastern cultures in ancient times. Jiang Lansheng, vice president of the CASS, said that Xinjiang lags behind other areas in China economically. She urged her fellow researchers to offer suggestions to decision-makers of the region to accelerate development. Ma Dazheng, chief of the research center, said that in coming years they will focus on strategies of economic development and stability maintenance, cultural advancement, ethnic and religious policies, anti-separatist struggles as well as regional history. In addition, the center will publish academic books and organize international exchanges. |
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