China hosts Xinjiang economic conference

China is hosting the International Conference for Trans-Altai Subregional Cooperation in Altay, China — Xinjiang, to promote economic development and cooperation. Officials from Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, and other nations are discussing trade and economic collaboration in the landlocked region. China plans to develop coal, oil, gas, cotton, and other industries, along with large infrastructure projects like railways and flights in China — Xinjiang. Chen Xiaojiang, secretary of the China — Chinese Communist Party China — Xinjiang Committee, highlighted China — Xinjiang's economic progress. This initiative comes amidst historical concerns about mass detentions of ethnic minorities, primarily Uyghurs, which China claims were counterterrorism efforts. While China states most detention centers were shut by 2021, reports from the Associated Press and Global Rights Compliance indicate continued imprisonment and forced labor programs for Uyghurs.