A 14-year project to demarcate the borders defining the administrative units of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has come to a close.

The mammoth project, in which 33,600 kilometers of borders were demarcated, was fraught with danger due to the remote, desert terrain. In the course of the demarcation process, according to local government officials, several workers stranded in the desert nearly lost their lives.

According to Uygur officials, the demarcation was a crucial step in putting an end to the frequent border disputes and lawsuits which had plagued the region prior to the 1988 initiation of the project.

(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2002)