国内英语新闻:Senior Chinese leader encourages Xinjiang students to study hard,contribute to country's dev

BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese leader Zhou Yongkang has encouraged students from Xinjiang who are attending school in southern Guangdong Province to study hard and become qualified builders of the country.

Zhou, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China(CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks when replying to a letter written by the 12th graders of Guangdong Guangya High School on Sunday, or the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Zhou visited the time-honored school in Guangzhou, capital of the southern province, last September and talked with the students from northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. They wrote a letter to Zhou before the Spring Festival, which fell on Sunday.

Zhou said in the letter that launching classes for high school students from Xinjiang in inland provinces is a major decision made by the Party and the government. It aims to let Xinjiang's children to enjoy better education so they can grow up healthily and make greater contributions to their hometown and the country.

Zhou said the 56 ethnic groups in the country are a family and they have gone through thick and thin together to forge the flesh-and-blood ties.

Zhou said the Party and government are exerting great efforts to address major issues including development gap between southern Xinjiang and other western regions, and the eastern coastal regions of the country.

He told students that the CPC Central Committee is to hold a meeting on Xinjiang work, at which major decision will be made to boost Xinjiang's development. He also encouraged students to contribute to ethnic solidarity and safeguard the national unity.