三、不断夯实发展基础

　　60年来，新疆经济发展水平不断提高。经济快速发展提升了新疆的现代化水平，为自治区各项事业发展以及各族人民生活水平提高奠定了坚实基础。

　　综合实力显著增强。1955年，新疆地区生产总值12亿元，1978年为39亿元，到2014年达到9273.46亿元，扣除价格因素，比1955年增长115.6倍，年均增长8.3%，比同期全国增速快0.2个百分点。2010—2014年，新疆地区生产总值年均增速11.1%，高于全国同期增速2.5个百分点，增速在全国的位次由2009年的第30位跃升至2014年的第4位，创历史最好水平。新疆人均生产总值由1955年的241元提高到2014年的40648元，扣除价格因素，比1955年增长23.8倍，年均增长5.6%。1955年新疆财政收入只有1.7亿元，2014年达到1282.6亿元。2010—2014年，新疆财政收入合计实现4540.8亿元。新疆财政支出1955年只有1.8亿元，2014年达到3317.8亿元。2010—2014年，财政支出合计实现13088.4亿元。

III. Constantly Strengthening the Foundations of Development

Over the past six decades, Xinjiang's economy has achieved steady and rapid development, which has accelerated the region' s modernization and laid a solid foundation for improved standards of living and progress in various social programs.

Marked improvement has been observed in Xinjiang' s overall strength. Its gross regional product (GRP) was only RMB1.2 billion in 1955 and RMB3.9 billion in 1978. In 2014, it reached RMB927.3 billion, a 116-fold increase over that of 1955 in real terms, with an annual growth rate of 8.3 percent, or 0.2 percentage point higher than China' s average during the same period. Over the years between 2010 and 2014, the average annual growth rate of Xinjiang's GRP was 11.1 percent, 2.5 percentage points higher than the national average. It ranked the fourth of all the country's province-level divisions - its highest ever placing as compared to the 30th in 2009. Xinjiang's per-capita GRP rose to RMB40,648 in 2014 from RMB241 in 1955, about a 24-fold increase in real terms, and a 5.6-percent annual growth. Xinjiang's fiscal revenues and expenditure, no more than RMB170 million and RMB180 million in 1955, grew to RMB128 billion and RMB332 billion in 2014. Over the period from 2010 to 2014, Xinjiang collected a total of RMB454 billion in fiscal revenues, and spent a total of RMB1,308.8 billion.

　　城乡差距逐步缩小。自治区成立之初，新疆只有乌鲁木齐、喀什、伊宁、哈密等少数城市，农村处于封闭的自然经济状态，城乡差别很大。经过60年的建设和发展，城乡居民的生产生活条件得到极大改善。城镇人口与乡村人口由1955年的15.1∶84.9演变为2014年的46.07∶53.93。城乡居民收入比由2009年的3.2∶1缩小至2014年的2.7∶1，在西部12省区中城乡居民收入差距相对较小。随着新疆新型城镇化的加快发展，有更多的农民转变成市民，过上了现代化的城市生活。

　　区域经济协调发展。由于历史原因和现实条件不同，新疆南疆、北疆发展水平差异较大。改革开放以来，新疆率先发展天山北坡经济带，有力地带动和辐射了自治区经济的发展。2014年，天山北坡经济带创造生产总值6386.9亿元，占新疆GDP的68.9%。国家和自治区十分重视少数民族占多数的南疆地区发展，特别是2010年以来，新疆积极推动南疆石油天然气化工带建设和大力扶持贫困地区发展，在资金、项目方面予以倾斜，南疆四地州(和田、阿克苏、喀什、克州)经济平均增速由2009年的10.5%提高到2014年的11.2%，南疆地区的经济实力显著增强，人民生活水平不断提高。

The gap between urban and rural areas has gradually been narrowed. When the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was founded, it had only few cities like Urumqi, Kashi (Kashgar), Yining (Ghulja) and Hami (Kumul). Its rural areas remained a closed natural economy. There was a yawning gap between urban and rural areas. After six decades of construction and development, enormous improvement has been observed in the production and living conditions of both urban and rural residents. The ratio of urban to rural population was 15.1:84.9 in 1955. By 2014, it had changed to 46.07:53.93. The ratio of urban residents' income to that of rural residents decreased from 3.2:1 in 2009 to 2.7:1 in 2014, narrower than that in the 11 other provinces and autonomous regions of western China. As Xinjiang's new model of urbanization develops fast, more and more rural residents are moving to the cities and enjoying a modern city life.

The economy of the various areas of Xinjiang is developing in a coordinated way. For historical reasons and due to different conditions, Xinjiang's northern and southern parts, which are divided by the Tianshan Mountains, varied sharply in development. Following the launch of reform and opening-up drive in 1978, Xinjiang decided to first develop the economic belt along the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains. Development then extended to other parts and propelled the economic growth of the whole region. In 2014, the gross product of the economic belt reached RMB638.7 billion, accounting for 68.9 percent of Xinjiang's total. The state and the autonomous region have also attached great importance to the development of southern Xinjiang, which is mainly populated by ethnic minorities. Since 2010 in particular, Xinjiang has actively encouraged the development of the southern Xinjiang petroleum, natural gas and chemical industry belt and made strenuous effort to support the development of poverty-stricken areas there by giving them a high priority in funding and projects. The average economic growth rate of the four southern Xinjiang prefectures (Hotan, Aksu and Kashi prefectures, and Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture) increased from 10.5 percent in 2009 to 11.2 percent in 2014. A steady growth has been seen in the economic strength of southern Xinjiang, so has a constant improvement in the local people's standards of living.