Xinjiang sees significant trade growth with Central Asia in Jan-April

URUMQI, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region saw its foreign trade with the five Central Asian countries increase by 92.2 percent to 75.11 billion yuan (about 10.7 billion U.S. dollars) in the first four months of the year, according to Urumqi customs.

The figure accounts for 43.4 percent of the country's total trade volume with the five Central Asian countries, namely, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, during the period.

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan have become the three major trading partners of the region in the first four months of the year. Among them, Xinjiang's import and export to Kazakhstan reached 35.48 billion yuan, an increase of 121.7 percent.

Wen Ping, an official with the Urumqi customs, said Xinjiang will continue to give full play to the policy and location advantages of the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, continuously optimize customs clearance facilitation measures, smooth the industrial and supply chains, seize opportunities for economic and trade cooperation with Central Asia, and promote high-level opening-up and high-quality development.