Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has registered better-than-expected economic growth in 2020 despite the impact of COVID-19. With continued stability over the years, local people's sense of contentment and happiness has been consolidated and rural residents are among the biggest beneficiaries. Xinjiang's economy expanded 3.4 percent year on year in 2020, 1.1 percentage points higher than the national GDP growth, according to the local government work report delivered to the annual session of the regional legislature, which opened Monday. The economic expansion has coincided with a period of improved, sustained stability in the region. In a historic feat, the region has eliminated absolute poverty, with some 3.06 million rural residents lifted out of poverty in the past five years. Xinjiang sailed through three rounds of COVID-19 cluster outbreaks last year, which weighed upon the performance of one of China's main agricultural bases. The secondary sector, including manufacturing and construction, was the primary contributor to growth. Fixed-asset investment grew 16.2 percent over the previous year. On the upside, the region registered robust growth from new economic drivers, with a 27.6-percent year-on-year growth in online retail sales and a 25-percent year-on-year increase in high-tech manufacturing added value. The per capita disposable income of rural residents reached 14,056 yuan (about 2,171 U.S. dollars), up 7.1 percent, as the region's anti-poverty campaign bore fruit. The increase was paced at 8.3 percent annually on average over the past five years, as more surplus rural labor force found stable jobs. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge,Sun Shaoxiong&Zhang Zhongkai)
