China’s Xi Made Rare Visit to Xinjiang

Chinese President Xi Jinping this week made a rare appearance in the troubled region of Xinjiang, his first visit there in over eight years and his second trip in two weeks aimed at demonstrating national unity after touring Hong Kong, as he seeks to lengthen his rule.

Early Friday, state media outlets carried about 1½ minutes of China Central Television footage showing Mr. Xi in government offices, a museum, classrooms and a trade zone in the Xinjiang capital Urumqi. Mr. Xi was greeted by musicians and dancers in dress traditionally worn by members of the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority, an ethnic group targeted by what the U.S. and other Western governments say is a vast forced assimilation program.