Stability, the lifeline for Xinjiang's development, prosperity

People in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are longing for a stable social environment more than ever after a deadly terrorist attack last week. Stability is fundamental for residents to make a good living and the lifeline for Xinjiang's development and prosperity. As an old Chinese saying goes, "No benefit is bigger than stability, and no harm is worse than chaos." Though the overall economic situation of this region still lags behind the nation's developed areas, Xinjiang has witnessed fast economic development and improved living standards over the past decades. The region's gross domestic product has enjoyed double-digit growth since 2010. Income growth rates of both the region's urban and rural residents are among the highest of the country's provincial-level areas. All this was achieved with the concerted efforts made by locals from the region's 47 ethnic groups, a stable environment for development in Xinjiang, and fast development of the national economy. Today's Xinjiang needs a stable social environment for further development and better life. A chaotic environment cannot even warrant the safety of lives and properties, let alone ensure economic and social progresses. However, there are various unstable factors which make it an arduous task. Terrorist attacks which have made headlines in the past year show that the battle against terrorism and separatism will be long, complicated and, sometimes, even acute. An explosion at a railway station in Xinjiang's regional capital Urumqi on Wednesday evening followed terrorist attacks at a train station in the southwestern city of Kunming in March and at China's iconic Tian'anmen Square in Beijing last October. During his Xinjiang trip, President Xi ordered a "crushing blow" to terrorists and a "strike-first" strategy to deter enemies, vowing to maintain "high intensity" in the country's counter-terrorism operations. With a view for faster and better development of the region, building a Xinjiang of lasting stability is now the cherished wish not only of the 22.6 million people in the region but the 1.3 billion people of the whole nation.