Foreign diplomats praise government's efforts in western region

Visitors met with local people and toured training and religious facilities

Ambassadors and envoys from seven countries visited the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region from Aug 19 to 21 at the invitation of the regional government.

The diplomats - from Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bahrain and Nigeria - visited the cities of Urumqi and Turpan to get a firsthand view of the region's economic and social development.

They gave a positive evaluation of the central government's efforts in promoting local economic development and improving people's livelihoods, safeguarding freedom of religious belief, as well as combating and preventing terrorism in accordance with the law, saying the successful development of Xinjiang has been noteworthy.

Xinjiang is a key battlefield in the fight against terrorism and extremism in China. For a long time, the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, both at home and abroad, have plotted and organized thousands of violent terrorist activities, which have gravely damaged the stability, solidarity and progress of Xinjiang, trampling on the basic human rights of the people in the region to life, health, property and development.