UAE officials praise Xinjiang's development

Children have fun in "Dove Lane" in the old town Tuancheng of Hotan City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Shadati)

URUMQI, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Two United Arab Emirates (UAE) officials who have previously visited northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have praised the region's development achievements in recent years.

During a special video conference on Tuesday, Ali Nuaimi, chairman of the Hedayah Centre (the International Center for Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism), said that China has practiced counter-terrorism in an effective manner, which contributes to building national unity and identity.

Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, UAE ambassador to China, who visited Xinjiang in 2019, said he noticed that the Chinese government respects and protects cultural and social diversity in Xinjiang, and that Muslims enjoy religious freedom in accordance with the law.

"Xinjiang is a successful example of addressing social ills such as extremism and poverty through education and economic development," he said, adding that the UAE supports all measures to fight terrorism, opposes extremism in all its forms, and backs China's efforts to strengthen ethnic unity and promote social stability in Xinjiang.