Xi attends celebration of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region’s 70th founding anniversary

Urumqi City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China – Sept 25, 2025 (CCTV – No access Chinese mainland)
1. Xinjiang People’s Hall, venue for gathering marking 70th founding anniversary of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
2. Various of Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of Central Military Commission, walking, waving to attendees; attendees applauding
3. Celebration in progress
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Erkin Tuniyaz, chairman, government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (starting with shot 3):
“Comrades and friends, the grand celebration of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region’s 70th founding anniversary now starts.”
5. Various of Xi, other attendees singing national anthem
Storyline

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a grand gathering on Thursday in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to celebrate the region’s 70th founding anniversary.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, joined local officials and people from all ethnic groups and all walks of life in the celebration.

Erkin Tuniyaz, chairman of the regional government announced the commencement of the celebration at around 10:30.

Also present were other senior officials from Beijing, including Wang Huning, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and head of the central delegation for the anniversary celebration activities, and Cai Qi, director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee.

Over the past seven decades, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China has undergone profound economic and social transformation.

From just 1.23 billion yuan (173.1 million U.S. dollars) in 1955, Xinjiang’s GDP reached over 2 trillion yuan by 2024. Notably, from 2012 to 2024, Xinjiang’s GDP grew at an annual rate of 7 percent at constant prices — significantly outpacing the national average.

By 2020, 3.06 million residents in Xinjiang were lifted out of poverty as China eradicated absolute poverty across the country. In 2024, per capita annual disposable income in Xinjiang reached 42,820 yuan for urban residents and 19,427 yuan for rural residents.