An aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 17, 2024, shows a view of Hemu Village after snow in Altay Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

  URUMQI, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- International representatives and media outlets have for the first time been invited to sit in on or cover the upcoming "two sessions" of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, local authorities said on Sunday.

  Local "two sessions" are the annual meetings of provincial-level lawmakers and political advisors, during which plans for local economic and social development in the year ahead are discussed.

  The annual meeting of the Xinjiang regional people's congress will open on Tuesday, while the Xinjiang regional committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference will open on Monday, according to a Sunday press conference.

  The regional foreign affairs office has invited diplomats from the embassies of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, SCO observer states and dialogue partners, as well as representatives of international organizations such as the SCO Secretariat and the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation Institute, to sit in on the meetings.

  Dozens of domestic and international media outlets, including four foreign media organizations, as well as 10 from Hong Kong and Macao, attended the press conference on Sunday.