Internet services were fully resumed in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Friday, 10 months after a riot in Urumqi on July 5, the regional government said.

The news came as a great relief for the region's 7 million Internet users, some of whom stayed up late in order to surf the net and send messages via QQ and MSN to their friends.

In a document released by its press office, Xinjiang's regional government said Internet services were "fully resumed," meaning netizens in Xinjiang were able to browse the web, chat online and put up postings again.

Resumption of Internet services was in line with maintaining stability and boosting social and economic development in Xinjiang, as well as the residents having access to information, the document said.

In an open letter to the public, the Xinjiang regional committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) welcomed netizens to offer constructive suggestion to the region's development. "Xinjiang relies on the web for further opening."

Tianshan.com, a news website based in Urumqi, reminded netizens to help maintain a "sound and harmonious" online environment in a commentary. "Life is normal again and we're confident of maintaining stability. We'll exploit to the maximum all information resources to bolster Xinjiang's development."

It said Internet users should refrain from posting content that is harmful to stability and national unity.

People in Xinjiang took the Internet service resumption as a sign of the government's confidence and increased social stability in the region.

"It's nearly a year since I chatted with my friends online," said resident Zhou Bing. "Now at last, things are normal again."