URUMQI -- Nineteen provinces and municipalities across China provided 19.7 billion yuan (about $2.8 billion) in aid to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in 2025, focusing on economic growth and livelihood improvements, according to the ongoing regional legislative session.

These funds, disclosed in Xinjiang's government work report, have supported industrial, technological, educational, cultural, medical and talent development programs to enhance the comprehensive benefits of "pairing assistance" efforts, part of a nationwide initiative launched in 1997 to channel financial, technical and human resource support in various fields to Xinjiang from other regions of China.

Over the years, the "pairing assistance" program has delivered tangible results, including modern housing, reliable clean energy and upgraded digital infrastructure, significantly improving living standards for Xinjiang's diverse ethnic communities.

At Tashimilike Township Middle School in Shufu county in Xinjiang, teachers selected from South China's Guangdong province have formed pairs with local teachers, and the province has invested dedicated funds to support the school in building "smart classrooms."

The school library has since taken on a brand-new look, while students there can also participate in specialized courses such as robot programming and 3D printing in standardized laboratories.

"I'm grateful to the doctors from afar for saving my mother's life," said Memet Ali, a villager from Xinjiang's Yutian county. His mother suffered from severe heart disease. Previously, she had to travel hundreds of kilometers to the regional capital Urumqi for examinations and surgeries, which not only proved arduous but also costly.

Later, a medical aid team assigned to Xinjiang facilitated a remote consultation with experts in Beijing to determine a surgical plan, and successfully performed heart surgery on his mother at the county hospital.

In 2026, Xinjiang plans to prioritize employment-driven industrial collaboration, and strengthen education, healthcare and intellectual support to elevate the overall effectiveness of the "pairing assistance" initiative, the report noted.