Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and also secretary of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, presides over a meeting attended by officials of central government departments and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to discuss a new round of "pairing assistance" projects in Xinjiang for the next five years, in Beijing, capital of China, March 25, 2011. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

BEIJING, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government is planning a new round of "pairing assistance" projects for the next five years in the western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, giving priority to housing projects, education, boosting employment and building industrial parks.

Speaking at a meeting attended by central government departments and Xinjiang officials meant to discuss the projects Friday, senior leader Zhou Yongkang called for more efforts in "pairing assistance" to ensure Xinjiang's "leapfrog development and lasting stability."

The "pairing assistance" model, revealed by the Chinese central government at a high-level meeting in March last year, requires 19 provinces and municipalities to support the development of Xinjiang.

Zhou, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, urged the provinces and municipalities assisting Xinjiang to work out support plans in a scientific way and enhance supervision to ensure that funds and projects are used "in an efficient, safe and clean-figured way."

The "pairing assistance" should give priority to projects that enhance people's livelihoods in the region by improving their housing conditions, promoting bilingual and vocational education, boosting employment as well as by building industrial parks, including the special economic zones of Kashgar and Khorgos, he said.

He called for enhanced coordination between different departments to ensure the smooth process of the assisting projects.

The "pairing assistance" support projects in Xinjiang last year involved 19 provinces and municipalities, with more than 3 billion yuan (440 million U.S. dollars) and 150 pilot projects in the region.