xinjiang leverages its advantages to boost international cooperation
photo shows camels laden with items of luggage. (photo: vcg)
in ancient times, xinjiang uygur autonomous region in northwest china was a hub of the flourishing trade between the east and west and its camel caravans carried an assortment of goods to distant parts of the world. today, the camels have been replaced by modern transport infrastructure. xinjiang has 17 first-class ports, making it a key gateway to central asia, west asia and europe along the silk road economic belt, the overland arm of the belt and road initiative.
a growing circle of trade friends
so far this year, nearly 2,400 tons of export goods have been transported through the urumqi international airport, an increase of 45 percent over the same period in 2019, wang xu, general manager of the xinjiang branch of china southern airlines logistics co., ltd. told science and technology daily.
export items such as clothes, electronic accessories and e-commerce products from guangzhou, beijing and hangzhou are all transferred through the urumqi international airport, according to wang. besides export items, red wine, cherries and other products imported from central and west asian countries enter the chinese market through xinjiang, which is in the core zone of the silk road economic belt.
the xinjiang pilot free trade zone (ftz), the first one in china's northwestern border region, began operation on november 1 to inject new vitality into xinjiang's development. the pilot ftz will facilitate trade and strengthen cooperation with neighboring countries.
wang said his company will grasp the opportunities brought by this blueprint and deepen cooperation with industrial chain partners from central asian countries in flights and logistics. it will optimize product transportation services, such as temperature-controlled transport and express transport, and expand the channels for exporting electronic products. this will enlarge the company's trade circle of friends and deliver more high-quality service to its customers from bri countries.
workers tighten chassis bolts at the automobile assembly line of the gac motor co., ltd. xinjiang branch. (photo: chen chunyou/s&t daily)
xinjiang branch of gac motor co., ltd. has also decided to expand its export market in central asia. "the establishment of the pilot ftz is good news for xinjiang's car exports," said luo haitian, general manager of the branch company, which has accelerated research to develop new energy vehicle technologies and produce more intelligent, user-friendly vehicles.
"by 2025, all products will have hybrid models to gain a more competitive edge in neighboring countries' markets," luo said.
cotton cooperation
xinjiang has a time-honored tradition of cotton production. to promote cooperation with bri partners, local enterprises are leveraging their technological advantages to help neighboring countries increase their cotton production.
a case in point is chemical product maker, zhongtai (group) co., ltd., which has built an agro-textile industrial park in tajikistan's khatlon province under a cooperative agreement with the country. the business scope ranges from cotton planting and leather processing to spinning, weaving, printing and dyeing, and clothes.
located in the valley of the vakhsh river, khatlon is one of the richest lands in tajikistan and the main cotton-growing area in the country. but in the past, due to a lack of repair and maintenance of water conservation facilities, the cotton yield was less than 100 kg per mu (one mu equals 0,067 hectare).
a view of the drip irrigation system at the agro-textile industrial park in tajikistan's khatlon province. (photo provided by zhongtai group to s&t daily)
abandoned wasteland used to abound in khatlon. zhongtai invested in improving the wasteland and upgrading the water conservation facilities. it also established drip irrigation in the cotton fields as well as agricultural film processing and mechanized cotton planting.
"the industrial park not only promotes the improvement of khatlon's cotton planting technology and the exchange of xinjiang's management experience, but also contributes to the industrialization of the cotton industry, creating more employment opportunities for local people and enhancing their income," liang bin, deputy general manager of the group, said.
