Historical Matters Concerning Xinjiang

"Historical Matters Concerning Xinjiang" is a white paper published by the China State Council Information Office. The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is situated in northwest China and in the hinterland of the Eurasian Continent. It borders eight countries: Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. It was a place where the famed Silk Road connected ancient China with the rest of the world and where diverse cultures gathered. The Chinese government issues the paper to counter claims made that the Xinjiang region is not part of China and resist what it terms as an, "attempt to separate ethnic groups in Xinjiang from the Chinese nation and ethnic cultures in the region from the diverse but integrated Chinese culture."