This book examines the partnership assistance program (PAP) in Xinjiang of northwestern China, which was initially implemented by the Chinese government during the 1990s. It was dramatically upgraded in 2010 following the 2009 riot in Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang. The program requires that a total of 19 provinces and municipalities from coastal and central regions of China provide a huge amount of financial, material, technical, human capital and other resources and aide to Xinjiang for at least 10 years (2010-2020). This most recent version of the PAP has generated drastic social, demographic, economic and environmental changes in the region.

The book looks at changes in Xinjiang in recent years as a result of the PAP implementation, which are consistent with the standard and goals set forth by the Chinese government for social and economic development in Xinjiang province and in China as a whole. Becoming increasingly more industrialized, modernized and urbanized, Xinjiang has been playing an important role in helping China realize the "China dream." At the same time, however, the heavily interventional PAP could bring about unexpected consequences. For example, it could potentially aggravate the already tense racial relations in the region, and to solve the racial tension was one of the reasons for which the 2010 version of the PAP was implemented.