A cargo plane taking off from Dubai landed at Urumqi Diwobao International Airport, where loaders and unloaders were busy transporting luxury goods from Europe and agricultural products from Central Asia. This remote and desolate border area in the traditional impression is quietly becoming a new hub in the Eurasian continent.

In 2025, Xinjiang plans to implement 500 key investment projects, with a total investment of up to 3.47 trillion yuan - this figure is equivalent to 1.5 times Xinjiang's annual GDP. Behind the huge amount of funds is Xinjiang's strategic transformation from a relatively closed inland to a frontier opening up.

With the country's opening to the west and the construction of the core area of ​​the Silk Road Economic Belt in depth, Xinjiang's policies, location and development advantages continue to be released. Today, Xinjiang has become an important gateway for my country to open to the west, bordering 8 countries and having 19 ports for opening up to the outside world.

01 Geographical Advantage: From the border to the Asia-European Golden Channel

Xinjiang is located in the core area of ​​the Eurasian continent and is known as the true portal of "five ports and eight countries, and all the way to Europe and Asia". This once considered remote place has now become China's portal to the West.

The New Eurasian Continental Bridge, China-Mongolia-Russia, China-Central Asia-West Asia, and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor converge in Xinjiang. This is no longer the end point, but a hub connecting the East and West.

The China-Europe freight train from Shanghai to Germany is more than 10,000 kilometers long. Once you leave Xinjiang, the journey is already halfway. The location advantage of the center of this world continent makes Xinjiang a bridgehead for the Asia-Europe golden channel and opening to the west.

In 2024, the Central European (Asia) trains passed through to China and Europe (Asia) reached 16,400, and remained above 10,000 for five consecutive years. These data confirm that Xinjiang's importance as an international trade channel is increasing.

02 Resource Treasure House: Strategic Reserves of Energy and Minerals

Xinjiang has amazing resource endowments. The number of solar energy resources that can be developed alone accounts for 26.9% of the country, ranking first; wind energy resources account for 18%, ranking second in the country.

Underground resources are also rich: oil forecasted resources account for 22% of the country onshore, natural gas accounts for 28%, and coal forecasted resources account for 40% of the country. These are important strategic reserves for national economic development and energy security.

Relying on rich energy, minerals and agricultural resources, Xinjiang is accelerating the construction of a modern industrial system that reflects Xinjiang's characteristics and advantages. From modern agriculture to commerce and logistics, from advanced manufacturing to new energy, there is broad room for development.

Xinjiang also has huge potential in industrial chain and supply chain cooperation with Central Asia, the Middle East and European countries. These resource advantages are being transformed into tangible economic cooperation projects.

03 Strategic Positioning: The Core Plier of the Belt and Road Initiative

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council have given Xinjiang a special and important "five strategic positionings" in the overall national situation, including the Asia-Europe Golden Channel and a bridgehead for opening to the west, and a strategic fulcrum for building a new development pattern.

The state approved the establishment of the China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone, established 14 categories of 56 national key open platforms and industrial development platforms in Xinjiang, and gave a series of special preferential policies.

Xinjiang actively integrates into the overall layout of the country's opening up to the west, and accelerates the construction of "one port, two districts, five centers, and port economic belts", and the door to opening is getting bigger and bigger. In the first half of 2025, the total value of Xinjiang's foreign trade imports and exports reached 280.82 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 28%, and the growth rate was 25.1 percentage points higher than the national average.

Xinjiang has become a frontier position that radiates to Europe and Asia. 115 train routes have been opened at the Alashankou Port, reaching 25 countries and regions; 80 routes have been opened at the Horgos Railway Port, radiating to 45 cities in 18 countries and 19 countries.

04 Investment boom: 3.47 trillion yuan of capital flows

In 2025, Xinjiang plans to implement 500 key investment projects with a total investment of up to 3.47 trillion yuan. This huge amount of funds is completely changing the local development pattern.

On September 20, 2025, the Autonomous Region held a meeting on the 2025 major projects and the third quarter key projects scheduling meeting. 70 major projects in the region were started in a concentrated manner and 56 major projects were completed.

These projects include the integration of refining and chemicals of Sinopec Tahe Refining and Chemical Company, 2 billion cubic meters/year coal-to-gas in Zhundong, G3033 line Kuitun to Dushanzi to Kuche Highway, Yining to Aksu Railway, and Xinjiang University Kashgar Campus and other major projects.

In 2024, Xinjiang ranked third in the country in net population inflow; in the first half of 2025, Xinjiang's private investment increased by 23.2% year-on-year; the number of civil airports in Xinjiang reached 28, ranking first in the country. These indicators fully demonstrate the market's confidence in the future of Xinjiang.

05 Opening up to the outside world: Create a new model for cross-border cooperation

Xinjiang has steadily expanded institutional opening up. A series of preferential policies such as several measures to support the stable development of foreign trade have been introduced, and 129 reform pilot tasks in the free trade pilot zone have been fully launched, of which more than 80 have been implemented and phased results have been achieved.

The level of customs clearance facilitation has been significantly improved. The rapid customs clearance time for agricultural and sideline products at the Sino-Kazakhstan, China-Taman and China-Kyrgyzstan border ports has been shortened from the original 5 days to the current one. This efficiency improvement has greatly promoted the development of cross-border trade.

Xinjiang continues to expand its "circle of friends" in foreign trade. Trade with more than 220 countries and regions around the world. The 8th China-Europe Expo held in 2024 had a total contract amount of 610 billion yuan.

Xinjiang also encourages the establishment and development of foreign-invested R&D centers to attract more foreign-invested R&D forces to gather, and help Xinjiang cultivate and expand its characteristic and advantageous industries. These measures are promoting Xinjiang to deeply integrate into the domestic and international dual circulation.

06 Economic Development: The Highland of Innovation with Leading Growth

In the first half of 2025, Xinjiang delivered a brilliant economic report card: the regional GDP was 984.648 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.7% based on constant prices.

Among them: the added value of the primary industry was 64.043 billion yuan, an increase of 5.2%; the added value of the secondary industry was 387.614 billion yuan, an increase of 5.9%; the added value of the tertiary industry was 532.991 billion yuan, an increase of 5.5%. The balanced development of the three industries shows good economic health.

The consumer market is also active. In the first half of 2025, the total retail sales of consumer goods in Xinjiang reached 189.358 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.5%; the retail sales of consumer goods units above the limit were 106.886 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.7%.

Xinjiang is also actively cultivating new business formats. The "first-time store economy" has become a new highlight, and all kinds of first-time stores are becoming new "check-in points" for young people. These new consumption formats have injected new vitality into Xinjiang's economy.

07 Challenges and Opportunities: Key Factors for Future Development

Xinjiang's development still faces some challenges. Problems such as imperfect commercial carriers and supporting facilities and insufficient brand awareness of Xinjiang market still exist.

Talent shortage is also one of the constraints. Although Xinjiang graduates a large number of students every year, high-end talents are still insufficient. Attracting and retaining talent requires creating better environments and opportunities.

Climate change and ecological environment protection are also important issues. Xinjiang firmly establishes the concept that green waters and green mountains are gold and silver mountains, and adheres to the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands and sands. This relationship between balanced development and protection needs to be grasped carefully.

Despite this, Xinjiang has far greater opportunities than challenges. With the in-depth implementation of the "Belt and Road" initiative, Xinjiang's advantages as a core area will be further highlighted. There is great potential for cooperation with Central Asian countries in areas such as smooth trade, industrial investment, interconnection, green minerals, agricultural modernization, and personnel exchanges.

Xinjiang has gone from a relatively closed inland to the forefront of opening up to the outside world, becoming an important gateway for my country to open up to the west. Standing in Xinjiang, you can see the whole world from afar.

Today, Xinjiang has the advantage of time and place, and people of all ethnic groups embrace the world and look forward to the future with great enthusiasm. From the busy Alashan Pass and the Horgos Port to the China-Europe freight train connecting Central Asia and Europe, a more open, confident and vibrant Xinjiang is opening its arms to welcome global partners to share development opportunities.