Vice-Premier Liu Yandong visited Xinjiang University on Sept 25 where she visited the university’s history museum and sent festival greetings to faculty and students who will celebrate Corban Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the National Day Holiday.

Liu noted that she is pleased to celebrate the festivals with faculty members and students. She said she hopes that Xinjiang University will move forward to become a first-class and world-renowned university in the west region as well as in Central Asia.

She met with students from different ethnic groups who were participating in student associations’ activities and said that such organizations serve as “the second class” of education. She also said education should not only cultivate more talent for the region but also promote unity and solidarity among different ethnic groups.

The vice-premier also stressed the development of academic disciplines and that welfare benefits for teachers should be further improved.

Xinjiang University is one of the Project 211 universities in China and a higher education institution supported by the Ministry of Education and Xinjiang Autonomous Region government. Project 211 is a government initiative to build world-class universities in China.