Jia Qinglin, China's top political advisor, has said economic and social development would help Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region overcome challenges and bring long-term stability to the region. Jia made the remarks during a tour in Xinjiang from Aug. 20-26, where he visited local enterprises, villages, urban communities and border areas. Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, visited food, clean energy and retail firms in Xinjiang. He said Xinjiang should utilize its rich resources in an environment-friendly manner to enhance the competitiveness of its economy. He also advised the region to take advantage of various policy incentives given by the central government, as well as aid from other provinces, to achieve leap- forward development. Jia urged local governments to give priority to improving people's livelihoods which meant creating more jobs, providing better education, housing and medical care and enriching cultural life. Jia said more local officials from various ethnic groups should be promoted, which he believed could help boost Xinjiang's social-economic development and stability. Jia also stressed that ethnic solidarity and development of religious groups played vital roles in achieving stability, harmony and economic growth of the region. 