New Party bureau to focus on Xinjiang

A central Party department has set up a new bureau to handle work related to the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, as well as to coordinate the region and other parts of China and deal with key issues, the department said on Thursday.

The newly added bureau to the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee is dedicated to carrying out research in key and sensitive issues in Xinjiang and providing suggestions to the central leadership, the department said on its website.

The department is mainly responsible for managing relations with non-Communist party individuals and organizations.

In addition to the new bureau on Xinjiang issues, the department has seven specialized bureaus to maintain relationships with ethnic, religious, overseas and intellectual groups, as well as other parties in China, private businesses and new social groups.

It also has a bureau for work related to the Tibet autonomous region.

The new bureau will help ensure that Xinjiang and other provinces or regions remain on the same page with the central government’s major policies for the region, and coordinate them to handle key issues including social stability, ethnic unity, ideology, economic development and employment, the website said.

It will also provide analyses of public opinion, as well as political, economic, social and cultural issues that relate to Xinjiang from home and abroad. Additionally, the bureau will evaluate the implementation of policies related to Xinjiang, the website said.

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region neighbors eight countries, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, and has a border of more than 5,600 kilometers. It has been China’s main battleground in the fight against terrorism.

The work in Xinjiang is strategically important to China and the Party, and the region’s development and stability matters to the development of China and national security, the website said.

The Xinjiang regional United Front Work Department will attach importance to further promoting ethnic unity and providing training to Islamic leaders in 2017, according to another release from the United Front Work Department in February.