Exclusive interview with the mayor of Urumqi

More than a year has passed since the riots of July 5, 2009, in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, which once grabbed much of the world's attention. The region is now entering a new phase of development. China Daily reporters had an exclusive interview with the mayor of Urumqi, Jierla Yishamuding, asking about how the city has left behind the impact of the riots and is developing in the post-riot era, from the economic, energy and environment perspectives.

Q: First of all, I'd like to ask a question that is on most people's minds. What efforts has the government made in order to extricate the city from the influence of the Urumqi riots on July 5, 2009?

A: Led by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the local government, the aftermath of the riot has been well-organized. We sent nearly 10,000 people to communities to communicate with people face to face. We have comforted and educated people through these efforts. We helped people to realize the importance of social stability, ethnic harmony and unity of the country in order to fight against the "three forces" of extremism, separatism and terrorism. We quickened the pace of investigations into every case and brought the mob to justice in order to stabilize people's moods. Improving people's livelihood tops the government's agenda. By strengthening the security of city communities and ensuring economic development, the city's social order has been restored, even better than before the riots.

Q: After the central government outlined Xinjiang's development goals and tasks at the central work conference on Xinjiang's development this May, 19 provinces and municipalities have started working with regions and prefectures in Xinjiang on local construction through a partner assistance model in order to improve local people's livelihoods. Since Urumqi is not included in the project, how would the city carry out its major projects?

A: The assistance to other regions and prefectures in Xinjiang is the assistance to Urumqi indeed. Urumqi works as a transfer station of the manpower and material resources from other provinces and municipalities to prefectures in Xinjiang. The well-being of people in prefectures will boost consumption and fuel the economic growth of Urumqi as well.

We have taken measures in order to improve people's livelihoods in Urumqi, and the city's ongoing shantytown renovation is a huge part of this project. The housing problem tops people's concerns, and the government should work on the problems of people's concern and for the good of our people. Winning people's support is the premise of ensuring social stability as well as promoting the city's all-around development.

Q: Urumqi's notable economic development in recent years has attracted many enterprises, and some of those are on the list of the world's top Fortune 500 companies. What efforts and practices have the city and companies made to ensure a low-carbon development?

A: The growth mode of Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co Ltd is an example of the local low-carbon economy and circular economy. It is a home-grown wind power enterprise, which uses foreign technology to develop and research independently. It has contributed a lot to the development of Urumqi's low-carbon economy.

In China's process of industrial restructuring, new energy, PV power and solar power are the leading technologies. The government promotes and leads the industries through policy support so as to attract more enterprises to join the sustainable growth mode. The resource advantage can be easily transferred to an economic advantage.

Q: According to research, air quality and traffic are the top two concerns of Urumqi's residents. What measures has the city taken or plan to carry out in order to solve these problems?

A: Air pollution control is a matter of common concern for people and the government. Urumqi has invested a lot in this field in order to improve air quality. We are stepping up efforts to further adjust the energy structure and move high-polluting companies out of the city. We are also taking measures to forbid coal use in downtown areas and promote the use of natural gas. Up to now 800,000 tons of coal consumption has been reduced in the center area of Urumqi. We are determined to improve our work on air pollution control.

The traffic problems have become more and more severe in recent years. We are building a highway with a length of 160 kilometers around the city to relieve the pressure on the city's center area. We will also invest 10 billion yuan in the construction of the city's second ring road next year. We will impose emergency measures at each road with high traffic pressure and deploy more traffic police. Large vehicles will be banned from entering the city's center area during rush hour and the city will introduce staggered working hours. We will further develop public transportation and call on residents to coordinate with the government's work.