Xinjiang
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Xinjiang

Xinjiang
Xinjiang
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Xinjiang. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Capital
Ürümqi
Head of Government
Party Secretary of Xinjiang Ma Xingrui
The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel on the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is open to traffic. Photo: Xinhua
Infrastructure

China’s mega expressway tunnel opens in Xinjiang, halves north-south travel time

The project is the biggest of its kind in the world and is expected to help forge stronger regional and international links.

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Accidents and personal safety

Avalanche at ski resort in northern Xinjiang kills Hongkonger

Science

Should Opec worry? China joins US shale oil revolution with new fracking tech

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US-China relations

US commission wants more Mandarin language courses to curb Beijing’s sway

Move would deepen students’ linguistic and cultural understanding amid cuts to US cultural exchange programmes to China.

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Students at Yu Ying Public Charter School in Washington perform a Chinese song and dance. The Congressional-Executive Commission on China’s annual report recommends introducing more Mandarin immersion programmes in the US. Photo: Yu Ying Public Charter School
Science

China trials unmanned trucks on world’s highest mine, 5,600m from sea level

Lead-zinc mine in Kunlun Mountains of Xinjiang sits at an altitude surpassing the world’s highest human settlement, in the Peruvian Andes.

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China travel

China turns to school ‘snow breaks’ to warm up winter tourism industry

Ahead of next year’s record-long Spring Festival, local governments roll out short holidays to lure families to winter getaways.

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China’s Communist Party

Chen Weijun joins list of senior Xinjiang officials investigated for corruption

Party journal Qiushi republishes speech by President Xi Jinping in which he urged greater effort in the push for ‘self-revolution’.

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Chen Weijun, once regarded as a promising political star, is under investigation for suspected “serious violations of discipline and law”. Photo: Handout
China-Middle East relations

Why Xinjiang casts a long shadow over China and Syria’s efforts to rebuild ties

The new Syrian government needs help in rebuilding, but Beijing is deeply concerned about Uygur militant groups inside the country.

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China’s Communist Party

Beijing launches nationwide fire safety drive in wake of deadly Hong Kong blaze

Notice vows to ‘identify and rectify’ fire risks across public and private facilities, with a focus on unsafe practices and lax management.

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Infrastructure

Building the future: China eyes smarter, more efficient transport infrastructure

The world’s biggest builder vows new chapter marked by landmark projects, tighter integration and data sharing.

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Longmen Bridge, photographed in December 2024. The project crosses the Maowei Sea and Pinglu Canal outlet, one of the country’s latest mega-infrastructure projects. Photo: Xinhua
Indonesia

Indonesia scripts soft-power diplomacy push with film shot in China’s Ningxia

Analysts say ‘Assalamualaikum Beijing 2: Lost in Ningxia’ is a striking example of cinema being used to bridge cultural divides.

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A scene from “Assalamualaikum Beijing 2: Lost in Ningxia” featuring actors Yasmin Napper (right) and Gabriella Ekaputri. Photo: Imperial Picture
China airliners

China’s Comac debuts C909 surgical cabin for ‘flying hospital’ missions

The modified aircraft – dubbed a ‘milestone’ – will support a range of medical interventions, especially in poorer regions.

China economy

Bitcoin mining in China rebounds, defying 2021 ban

Individual and corporate miners exploit cheap electricity and a data-centre boom in some energy-rich provinces, miners and industry data say.

China-Middle East relations

China looks to get relations with Syria ‘back on track’ after Assad’s downfall

In first meeting with counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani, Foreign Minister Wang Yi urges new regime to act against Xinjiang militant groups.

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Syrian foreign minister Asaad Al-Shaibani said the country needed “genuine strategic partnerships, especially with China”. Photo: AFP
IPO

Morgan Stanley faces US scrutiny over Zijin Gold’s Hong Kong IPO

Zijin Gold’s parent was added to a US government list of firms whose imports are banned over alleged human rights abuses involving Uygurs.

Morgan Stanley assisted with Zijin Gold’s Hong Kong IPO in September. Photo: dpa
My Take

My Take | Is China committing ‘genocide’ by promoting tourism and development?

Much of UK media and academia have helped manufacture spurious claims about Xinjiang while denying real monstrous crimes elsewhere that many of them sponsor or otherwise justify.

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China jobs

How China’s retired teachers are helping bridge the urban-rural education divide

A government programme sends highly-experienced urban teachers to less developed regions – but is it enough to close the gap?

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History

Where do witch hats come from? China’s Tarim mummies may hold the answer

The ‘witch hat’-wearing mummies have long caused debate among historians. Could they suggest Europeans reached Asia earlier than we thought?

The Princess of Xiaohe is one of the most famous mummies found in the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, China. Can the origins of the modern witch hat be traced to this region? Photo: Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
Art

They’re training AI on nuclear trauma, war zones and teeth launched into space

Forget mountains and rivers. At Tai Kwun, creatives transform glitchy algorithms, viral robots and memory into their medium.

Mainland China

Explainer | What makes the Xinjiang-Tibet mega railway China’s ‘project of the century’?

The ambitious project will cut through glaciers and mountains, bridging two regions long isolated by geography.

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SCMP Highlights

US optimism ahead of trade talks; Jane Goodall tributes: SCMP daily highlights

From Scott Bessent seeing a ‘breakthrough’ in US-China trade relations to Tsinghua University’s success, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters at the US Capitol in Washington in June. Photo: Reuters
Xinjiang cotton

The data access challenge in China of trying to counter the US’ Xinjiang claims

Reticence of regional authorities is said to hinder efforts to assess human rights allegations like forced labour and birth control.

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illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China’s Communist Party

Religion must align with law for ethnic and social harmony in China, Xi says

During a Politburo study session, Xi Jinping says Beijing must ‘implement strict law enforcement’ regarding religion.

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Science

World’s most powerful flying wind turbine launched in western China

Gigantic gliding ‘power bank’ could help communities cut off from the grid during blackouts and cement China’s leading role in green energy.

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Mainland China

Senior officials intensify focus on religion and use of Chinese in Xinjiang

Round of tours, which included drive to promote sense of national unity, continued after President Xi Jinping’s visit to the region this week.

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Xi Jinping visited the region to mark the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Photo: Xinhua
TikTok

Trump’s TikTok sign-off, China climate target, Zijin Gold IPO

This week: Trump approves planned US TikTok deal, Xi unveils 2035 emissions targets, super typhoon batters Hong Kong. Next week: September PMI, golden week travel rush, K-type tech visa, world’s biggest indoor ski centre opens and more.

President Donald Trump speaks after signing a TikTok executive order. Photo: AP
SCMP Highlights

Top China weapons chip scientist detained, Trump’s H-1B chaos: 7 highlights

From top Chinese weapons chip scientist detained to Trump’s H-1B visa chaos, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Xi Jinping

China’s ethnic affairs chief hails Xinjiang policies in Xi’s ‘new era’

Speech in Urumqi comes at the end of the first trip by a Chinese president to the autonomous region for its anniversary.

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