Adnan Akfırat

SHI YU/CHINA DAILY

As a writer from a country that has been grappling with "ethnic terrorism "apparently fueled by the United States for more than 40 years, I have done in-depth research on the resolution of ethnic issues. My research spans across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Since 2004, I have made numerous study and research trips to Xinjiang, exploring not just urban centers but also rural areas and impoverished villages. I've witnessed firsthand the varying levels of development in northern and southern Xinjiang. For the past year, I have been living and working in Urumqi. Based on both theoretical and practical research, I can say with confidence that no country has been more successful in resolving ethnic issues than the People's Republic of China.

Some Western countries like to discuss the subject of China's internal ethnic affairs. But a straightforward way to gauge the effectiveness of China's ethnic autonomy policy is to compare the lives of ordinary black people in the US who still face discrimination.

The primary reason for China's success in resolving ethnic issues lies in its commitment to liberating its people. When the People's Republic was founded in 1949, China was one of the poorest countries in the world. Today, it is the world's second-largest economy in terms of GDP (nominal) and the largest economy in terms of GDP(purchasing power parity).

By following whole-process people's democracy, China has been encouraging the people to participate in governance and foster a sense of unity. Sustained economic development and good governance benefits everyone. Accordingly, China's massive infrastructure development — including building factories, schools, hospitals, housing, roads, high-speed railways, 5G networks, and developing AI — is for the benefit of all Chinese people, regardless of their ethnicity. China has implemented affirmative action policies to help ethnic minority groups to improve their livelihoods and thus economic condition. For example, ethnic minority students get extra points in university entrance exams and civil service exams.

Throughout the world, regions inhabited by ethnic minorities are often the least developed because they face tough historical and geographical challenges. The Xizang autonomous region, for example, is surrounded by towering mountains and vast glaciers, while the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has two large deserts and major mountain ranges, creating a natural barrier against external threats.

China has prioritized the development of the western region in all its five-year plans. In particular, since 2012, under President Xi Jinping's leadership, China has strictly followed the principle of "leaving no one behind", ensuring that ethnic minorities benefit from the campaign to eradicate absolute poverty. In both Xizang and Xinjiang, the population below the absolute poverty line has been reduced to nearly zero. China's actions should gain understanding of Muslim people, as Muslims have a saying that "the one who eats while his neighbor is hungry is not one of us."

Another reason for China's success in resolving ethnicity-related issues is its focus on building bridges of understanding and unity. The resolution to ethnic issues lies in winning hearts and minds.

China's policy of granting autonomy to regions with a high concentration of ethnic and religious minorities, as enshrined in the Constitution, ensures smooth economic development. Within autonomous regions, there are also autonomous prefectures and counties, such as the Hui autonomous prefecture and the Kyrgyz autonomous county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

China has made concerted efforts to recruit more leaders from ethnic minority groups, and the number of Party members and officials from these groups has been increasing by the year. From the beginning, the CPC Central Committee has had members from the Uygur, Hui, Tibetan and other ethnic minority groups. Ethnic minorities are also represented in the central government. For example, a Uygur has served as the vice-president of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's highest legislative body, since its inception.

In fact, ethnic minorities are represented across all sectors, including the military, police, State-owned enterprises, the academia and the arts. There are plenty of job and business opportunities, too, for members of ethnic minority groups. More importantly, wealthy entrepreneurs from these communities can still benefit from affirmative actions despite their wealth.

Despite the efforts of certain Western media outlets, China's true democracy allows it to serve as a read advocate for human rights for all.

(Adnan Akfırat is the chairman of the Turkish-Chinese Business Development and Friendship Association.)