URUMQI, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has reduced and exempted more than 300 million yuan (about 42.33 million U.S. dollars) of utility bills for enterprises since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus epidemic, according to local authorities.

The move aims to help enterprises in the region to resume work and production, according to the regional development and reform commission.

From February 1 to June 30, Xinjiang has reduced electricity charges for enterprises, except for high energy-consumption enterprises, by five percent, and lowered the prices of natural gas and water, according to Li Changqing, deputy director of the commission.

By the end of May, a total of 700,200 users had benefited from the electricity price reduction policy, 48,500 industrial and commercial users from lower gas prices and 88,000 individual businesses from lower water prices.