International Forum on the History and Future of Xinjiang opens in Kashi

By Zhao Li

(ECNS) -- The International Forum on the History and Future of Xinjiang, China opened on Wednesday in Kashi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Over 170 experts and scholars from China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Australia, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Mongolia, Russia, and the United States, attended the forum.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Pan Yue, head of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, said that internationally, there is a baseless narrative that separates Xinjiang culture and Chinese culture and even portrays them as being in opposition. However, Pan said, a large amount of archaeological evidence tells us that Xinjiang has always been an important part of the Chinese cultural sphere.

“There is an internationally prevalent narrative that untruthfully portrays the relationship between Xinjiang culture and Chinese culture as being the ‘assimilation’ of the former by the latter. This reflects the widespread ignorance of Chinese history. Peoples of the Western Regions have always been co-creators of Chinese culture,” Pan said.

Shakhrat Nuryshev, ambassador of Kazakhstan to China, stated at the opening ceremony that as Kazakhstan borders China's Xinjiang region, Xinjiang plays a strategically important role in deepening the multifaceted relations between Kazakhstan and China.

The two sides have engaged in mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, industry, transportation, agriculture, education, and tourism, he said, adding that Kazakhstan is willing to further develop comprehensive cooperation with China's Xinjiang.

Following the opening ceremony, eight Chinese and foreign guests, including Professor Yang Shengmin from Minzu University of China and Honorary Professor Colin Mackerras from Griffith University in Australia, delivered keynote speeches on topics related to the history, culture, and modernization of Xinjiang.

After the forum, the participating experts and scholars will conduct field studies in Turpan, Urumqi, and other locations in Xinjiang.

The forum was jointly organized by Minzu University of China, Peking University, and Kashi University.