Foreign news
China’s Xinjiang sees unprecedented development of its society with people better off
From 2014 to 2019, overall statistics show that China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has seen a positive trend in economic development and people’s livelihoods have significantly improved.
Development is the crucial foundation for the region’s long-term stability, said Chinese President Xi Jinping who called for efforts to build a socialist Xinjiang with Chinese characteristics in a new era.
Xi demanded law-based governance and long-term efforts to develop Xinjiang into a region that is united, harmonious, prosperous, and culturally advanced, with healthy ecosystems and people living and working in contentment.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the comments at the two-day third central symposium on work related to Xinjiang, which ended in Beijing on Saturday.
He stressed the need to fully implement the CPC’s policies and strategies on governing Xinjiang, which include governing in accordance with the law and maintaining stability in the region through ethnic solidarity.
Unprecedented progress in economic development
Xinjiang has made great achievements in its social and economic development and different groups of people in the region are having a stronger sense of achievement, happiness and security as their livelihoods significantly improved, Xi said.
Since the last central symposium on work related to Xinjiang, China has been strengthening support to the region both from the central government as well as other regions for helping its economic development, employment, education, healthcare and others.
Xinjiang’s gross domestic product (GDP) has increased from less than 147 billion U.S. dollars in 2014 to 205 billion U.S. dollars by 2019, with an average yearly increase of 7.2 percent.
In mid-September, China released a white paper titled “Employment and Labor Rights in Xinjiang,” which said that through proactive labor and employment policies, Xinjiang has continuously improved people’s lives and guaranteed and developed their human rights in every field.
Advance poverty eradication
The Chinese president said that poverty eradication in Xinjiang had seen remarkable achievements as by 2019, almost three million people have been lifted out of poverty in the region, roughly one-seventh of its population.
Xi stressed the need to systematically carry out prevention and control work of the pandemic and social and economic development in Xinjiang with a focus on the work of poverty eradication and employment facilitation.
The mechanism for assistance and preventing a return of poverty needs to be improved while the development vitality has to be strengthened to ensure sustainable development after poverty eradication, he added.
All these facts have proved that China’s ethnic work has turned out to be a success regarding the overall improvement of Xinjiang’s development and people’s livelihoods, Xi said, noting that the success is due to the combined results of strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and concerted efforts of the Chinese people.
Foreign news
Court of Arbitration Declares Indus Waters Treaty Fully Operational Rejects India’s ‘Abeyance’
Cyril Ogar
The Court of Arbitration has unanimously reaffirmed that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) remains fully in force, ruling that India cannot unilaterally place the 1960 agreement in “abeyance” or suspend its obligations under the treaty.
The decision represents a significant legal development in the longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan over the management and use of the Indus river system.
The Court’s finding addresses a fundamental issue at the heart of the dispute: whether either party can unilaterally suspend the treaty outside the legal framework agreed by both countries.
In its unanimous determination, the Court made clear that the IWT continues to bind both India and Pakistan and that its obligations cannot be set aside through a unilateral political declaration.
The ruling means India remains subject to the treaty provisions governing the use of the Western Rivers, including requirements relating to the design and operation of hydroelectric projects, as well as the dispute-resolution mechanisms established under the agreement.
The Court has also ordered interim measures concerning the Ratle Hydroelectric Plant, restricting specified construction activities while the broader dispute remains under consideration.
The measures are aimed at preserving the effectiveness of the arbitration process and preventing developments that could prejudice the outcome of the proceedings.
For Pakistan, the decision represents significant legal validation of its longstanding position that the IWT is a binding international agreement and contains no provision allowing either party to unilaterally place it in abeyance.
Pakistan has consistently maintained that disagreements over the treaty should be addressed through the institutional mechanisms established by the agreement, rather than through unilateral action.
The IWT provides a structured framework for resolving disputes through mechanisms including the Permanent Indus Commission, Neutral Expert and Court of Arbitration processes.
The latest ruling therefore reinforces the principle that treaty obligations cannot simply be disregarded because of deteriorating political relations between signatories.
The significance of the decision extends beyond the India-Pakistan dispute. It underscores the broader international-law principle that agreements governing shared rivers and other transboundary resources must be respected and disputes resolved through established legal and institutional channels.
The Indus river system supports agriculture, livelihoods, food security and communities across the region, making the stability of the treaty particularly important.
The ruling also highlights the distinction between seeking to amend an international agreement through mutually agreed procedures and attempting to alter its obligations unilaterally.
The IWT has endured wars, prolonged diplomatic tensions and periods of limited bilateral engagement. Its continued operation demonstrates the importance of rules-based mechanisms in managing shared resources when relations between neighbouring states become strained.
For Pakistan, the outcome provides an opportunity to frame the decision not merely as a bilateral legal victory, but as an affirmation of international law, treaty compliance and peaceful dispute resolution.
The central message from the ruling is clear: the Indus Waters Treaty remains in force, its obligations continue to bind both parties, and disputes concerning shared waters must be addressed through the legal mechanisms agreed by India and Pakistan.
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