Central authorities presented a traditional Chinese ritual vessel to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Friday to mark the region's 50th anniversary.

The bronze tripod cauldron, known as a "Ding" in Chinese, is inscribed with calligraphy by President Hu Jintao, which reads "the Superb Ding of Ethnic Unity."

With a history of at least 4,000 years in China, Dings have changed from being mere cooking vessels to become symbols of power and stability.

According to Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu, the gift carries the best wishes of the central authorities and all 1.3 billion Chinese people.

Historical experience in Xinjiang over the past five decades shows that "unity means power, wealth and victory," said Hui, calling for a stable social environment.

With nearly 50 ethnic groups in the region, the Muslim-majority Xinjiang is victim to ethnic separatism, religious extremism and violent terrorism. Hundreds of terrorist activities have taken place in the region in the past two decades.

Luo Gan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, is heading a 61-member central delegation to the region. They will attend the grand celebrations on Saturday marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the autonomous region.

On the eve of the celebration gala, thousands of the region's officials attended a meeting on Friday, at which Luo urged them to push economic development and adhere to "the system of self-government for the ethnic autonomous region."

"Development is the most important issue for Xinjiang," said Luo, noting economic growth is crucial for improving the lives of local people. He added that the central government will continue to provide policy and financial support to the region.

According to the current political system in China, self-government is exercised in areas densely populated by people from ethnic minorities. Five provincial-level regions, including Xinjiang, adopt the system.

Luo also emphasized the importance of ethnic unity, saying that stability plays an overwhelming role in Xinjiang. Iron-fisted measures would be taken against the "three forces" of separatism, extremism and terrorism to safeguard the social stability of the region, he said.

Wang Lequan, secretary of the Communist Party of China's Xinjiang Committee, presented a report on the region's past five decades of progress.

The region's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 220 billion yuan (US$27 billion) last year, 42 times that of 1955.

The population of the region is 19.63 million, more than 60 per cent of whom are recognized as being from ethnic minorities. Uygurs constitute the largest ethnic group in the region.

From 1955-2004, the total fixed asset investment in Xinjiang was 487.6 billion yuan (US$60 billion), with construction completed on nearly 90,000 projects.

The central delegation on Friday announced a batch of gifts to the region for its 50th birthday, including the setting up of a special fund as well as computers, TV sets and DVDs.

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