Wealth gap a regional, not ethnic, problem in Xinjiang: official

The imbalance of living standards in Xinjiang is a regional problem rather than an ethnic one, a senior local official said in Beijing Sunday.

The imbalance is mainly seen between different regions, urban and rural residents and between industries, said Nur Berkri, chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regional government.

In the region, underdevelopment is usually caused by history, inadequate natural resources, environment and low production level, in stead of ethnic factors, he told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature.

For example, the ethnic minorities in Xinjiang's relatively developed areas enjoy better living standards whereas the lives of their Han majority counterparts in less developed regions are unsatisfactory, he said.

The living standards of people in Xinjiang have constantly improved in the past years, especially since the central government launched the Western Development campaign a decade ago, he said.

"We firmly believe wealth gaps in Xinjiang would be gradually narrowed," he said.


Source:Xinhua