A worker at Tiansheng Cotton Textile Corporation in Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region September 21, 2009. The company is the biggest cotton factory in China's Northwestern area. [Xinhua]

Two workers at Xinjiang Tiansheng Cotton Textile Corporation in Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region September 21,2009.  [Xinhua]

White Paper on Development and Progress in Xinjiang:

Since 1949, particularly after China's reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, Xinjiang has entered an era of rapid economic and social progress and enhanced comprehensive strength, with the local residents enjoying the most tangible benefits.