Western China - news and development

[ahojunk]

More news on the Tibet Development Forum.

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Tibet through the eyes of a western scholar
2016-07-09 20:27:20 Xinhua Web Editor: Min Rui

Participants attend the Forum on the Development of Tibet in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 7, 2016. More than 130 researchers, officials and correspondents from over 30 countries and regions attended the forum, hosted by the State Council Information Office and the Tibetan regional government.[Photo: Xinhua]


"It was astonishing to see the modern part of Lhasa, and I am very glad to have seen the development," said Albert Ettinger, a Luxembourger in Tibet for the first time, attending the Forum on the Development of Tibet.

Ettinger is the author of two books on Tibet, "Free Tibet" and "The Fight for Tibet," both about Tibet's traditions and history, published in German and Italian.

Ettinger said one of the reasons he wrote the books was, as a teacher of German language and literature, he found a German textbook about the Dalai Lama and Tibet to be biased. He was upset because the purpose of school is to teach students to think critically and decided to write a book himself.

Having researched Tibet through books, publications and the Internet, Ettinger said he was still amazed by the changes.

"It is developing very fast," he said, "Lhasa is now a fantastic city; for example, the university with all those beautiful new buildings. The city is very clean too."

"The government can be proud of what it has achieved," Ettinger said suggesting inviting more people to see the real Tibet.

"There are some people who want to see the old Tibet, like an old woman with her prayer wheel, but still they can see the development, at least they can see that the Tibetan language is living, Tibetan people are better off than before, and their religion is protected," he said.

Lhasa and Tibet are more open to foreigners than before, and it could be more open, he said, to let people see with their own eyes.

"And let some of the Dalai Lama's friends come. Maybe they can also learn something," Ettinger said.

The two-day Forum on the Development of Tibet closed on Friday in the regional capital Lhasa.

More than 130 guests from over 30 countries and regions participated in field visits and meetings in Lhasa and Shannan.

This was the second Forum on the Development of Tibet, with the first held in 2014.

 

[ahojunk]

Xinjiang has the potential and I hope the provincial government manages it properly.

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Boom to place Xinjiang as Central Asia’s economic hub
Source:Global Times Published: 2016-7-4 20:53:00

He Yiming, director and Party chief of the Department of Commerce of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is interviewed in Xinjiang on Wednesday. Photo: Cui Meng/GT


Editor's note:

As Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region establishes itself as a center for China's Silk Road Economic Belt, the region's government plans to let trade lead its economic and social development. Global Times (GT) reporter Bai Tiantian speaks with He Yiming, director and Party chief of the Department of Commerce of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

GT: Can you give us an introduction of Xinjiang's trade this year?

He: From January to May, the total trade volume in Xinjiang was $6.13 billion, up 6.8 percent from last year. Xinjiang was ranked 22nd among all provincial-level regions in China in terms of trade volume from January to May, but our growth was second in the nation.

Border trade constitutes the most important part, accounting for 56.8 percent of the total trade in Xinjiang and 27.5 percent of small trade imports and exports in China. Our trade also relies very heavily on the private sector, which constitutes 85.3 percent of our total volume. Textiles, electronics and mechanical products saw double-digit growth this year.

However, we still face some difficulties. For starters, the sluggish global economy, falling international commodity prices and downward pressure in the domestic economy are all factors of concern this year. Currency devaluation in Russia and Central Asian countries, which leads to a decline in purchasing power, also casts a shadow on our trade prospects.

The Eurasian Economic Union, which aims to remove internal tariff barriers while imposing a common external tariff, has had a profound influence on Xinjiang's trade. After joining the Eurasian Economic Union, the average tariff for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia actually increased, leading to a decline in exports to some Central Asian nations.

Xinjiang wishes to achieve an annual trade volume of $20.8 billion this year. We have geographical advantages, backed by a strong industrial system in China. We would like to let trade lead the way so that when trade volume reaches a certain level, industries will naturally relocate to Xinjiang.

Another thing we are working on is diversifying our trade structure. Currently our trade focuses on textiles, electronics and mechanical products, bags and luggage and agricultural products. We are looking to open up new markets, for example Southeast Asia. Fruits grown in Xinjiang are not found in Southeast Asia and vice versa. The regions complement each other.

GT: Which countries are Xinjiang's largest trade partners and how does Xinjiang cooperate with these countries?

He: The largest trade partners of Xinjiang are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, in that order. Trade with these four countries constitutes more than 75 percent of Xinjiang's total trade with foreign countries. Kazakhstan alone took up about 40 percent last year. It used to take up more. Russia has recently caught up and become third.

As for trade structure, these countries displayed similar characteristics. Textiles and electronics are the top two exports. These countries are interested in importing light industrial products from China.

GT: We understand that Xinjiang is establishing itself as a core area for the Silk Road Economic Belt. One of Xinjiang's goals is to make itself a commercial and logistics center. Can you talk about how Xinjiang, and especially your department, wish to achieve that goal?

He: A key focus of our work is building a land port in Urumqi. The project consists of online and offline parts. For the offline part, the idea is to make use of the highway, railroad and aviation networks, as well as free trade zones, container terminal stations and other resources in Urumqi, to offer freight consolidation services with the supervision of customs. The online part involves building a multi-language platform connecting different logistics nodes both along the Silk Road route and with other provinces in China. We want to build a platform where logistics supply and demand information can flow freely, and information of freight shipping with highways, railroads and aviation can be combined and connected.

Our goal is to build a highly-efficient two-way logistic channel connecting Europe and Asia. Take our freight rail route to Central Asia and Europe as an example. There has been a problem where the return trip doesn't bring back enough merchandise. The land port project in Urumqi is designed to solve this issue. Domestic goods, when shipped to Urumqi, will be regrouped and consolidated in a more efficient way before shipping out. Our goal is to cut 25 percent of the cost of a one-way trip to attract more customers. The same idea also applies to international goods coming into China.

GT: Part of your job is to oversee the management work of the Sino-Kazakh Cooperation Center in Khorgas along the China-Kazakhstan border. Can you tell us more about this center?

He: The center was designed to enjoy a high degree of freedom in terms of trade and commerce. Chinese visitors are allowed to buy up to 8,000-yuan worth of duty-free products. The center can be used for other functions such as storage, exhibitions and finance. Trade fairs will be held here. It is designed to serve as a window where business people from both sides can be exposed to new opportunities.

A good example is the Chung Ying Street, a street on the border of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. In the past, people used to go there and buy products such as socks, radios and CD players. As business boomed, industry followed suit. Today Shenzhen has become a high-tech and manufacturing hub in southern China, and border trade on Chung Ying Street helped cultivate that. This is an example we look up to.

 

[ahojunk]

Sub-anchor: Economic development in Tibet
CCTV.com
07-07-2016 16:52 BJT

The economy in Tibet is outpacing the rest of China. Tibet's GDP reached 23.9 billion yuan in the first quarter, up 10.7 percent year on year, and 4 percentage points higher than the national average.

Fixed assets investment in Tibet stood at 8.1 billion yuan in the first quarter. That was 22.3 percent higher year on year again, the growth was higher than the average level across the country.

Some major projects such as the construction of Sichuan-Tibet railway, hydropower plants along the Yarlung Zangbo and Jinsha rivers, and a highway connecting Lhasa and Nyingchi are all progressing. Tourism has also developed well as an economic driver. Tourism revenue in Tibet reached 670 million yuan in the first quarter, up 29.7 percent year on year.

 

[ahojunk]

The new generation of children are able to speak Putonghua. China should have started this 30 years ago.
It is better late than never.

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Bilingual education makes a difference for Tibetan children
Source:Xinhua Published: 2016-7-11 18:58:00

Tseri Yangzom, 7, is the pride of her family. The daughter of a Tibetan inn-keeper and farmer, she has an important role in her family unit as an interpreter.

Tseri's father runs a hotel in Deqen county, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Growing up, Tseri loved the Tibetan tale King Gesar, as well as the Journey to the West, a Chinese classic. At school, she excels at languages and speaks Tibetan and Putonghua well and a little English.

Bilingual education in Tibetan and Chinese is available free to Tibetan-speaking children in Tibet and the provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai.

"I want to be a pianist when I grow up. I want to travel and play music," she said.

Tseri's family do not have to pay tuition fees for her, thanks to State funding, meaning she is much better educated than her older relatives.

"Children of Tseri's generation are multilingual. She is the pride of our family," said her uncle Ashi, 48.

About 100 kilometers away from Tseri's school, in Benzilan township, another school is attended by more than 1,000 children.

Yeshe Lhamo, a third-grader, hopes to attend one of the top universities in Beijing.

"I want to go to the best medical school in China. There are huge differences between Tibetan, Western and traditional Chinese medicine, I want to explore this," Yeshe said.

"My teacher said I should work hard and learn Tibetan, Chinese and English if I want to be a doctor," she said.

Tenzin Norbu, 33, has worked at Yeshe's school for nine years. He was the first college graduate from his village. Now Duotong village's around 60 households have produced nearly 10 college students.

"People now understand the importance of education, and dropouts are rare," he said.

Xinhua

 

[TaiShang]

Jobs growing, but applicants are lagging
China Daily, July 25, 2016

Job seekers attend a job fair in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province. [Photo/Xinhua]


Job opportunities grew during the second quarter in the central and western part of China and in third-tier cities, thanks to e-commerce and the sharing economy.


Chinese job recruitment website Zhaopin and the China Institute for Employment Research jointly released their second quarter employment report recently. The report showed that first-tier cities, as well as the country's eastern region generally, continued to generate the majority of new job opportunities. Eastern China generated 73 percent of them.

Yet the employment situation in the less-developed middle and western regions of China had improved, compared with the same period last year. New jobs in Central China grew at the fastest rate, reaching 29 percent of the total. Western China was next, with 23 percent.

Third-tier cities and other less-developed areas, despite having relatively low numbers, saw 27 percent growth in new job openings compared with same period last year.

Zeng Xiangquan, director of the China Institute for Employment Research, said the overall employment situation in the second quarter had improved from the first quarter. The index－the proportion of job vacancies for each job seeker－increased from 1.71 to 1.93.

"In the second half of the year, we could still see a drop in the index. The competition in job market could become fiercer," said Zeng. "However, the overall picture is stabilizing."

Guo Sheng, CEO of Zhaopin, said the biggest problem underlying the job pressure in China is the mismatch between employers and job seekers.

"The reasons behind the mismatch are complicated," Guo said. "We see job opportunities cluster in regions that are not provinces with large populations. Labor mobility is not enough to meet this demand. Besides, many job seekers continue to look for opportunities in traditional industries that are cutting positions."

For example, in the internet industry about 11 job vacancies had only one applicant, while in the mining industry, about 100 job seekers competed for 24 jobs.

One solution to the structural unbalance is the sharing economy and e-commerce, Guo said.

According to Didi Dache, the car-hailing platform, it has provided 3.89 million job opportunities in 17 provinces that are cutting industrial overcapacity and jobs.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said an estimated 1.8 million employees in the iron and coal industry will be laid off in the process of reducing excess industrial capacity in China.

@AndrewJin

 

[AndrewJin]

Jobs growing, but applicants are lagging
China Daily, July 25, 2016

Job seekers attend a job fair in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province. [Photo/Xinhua]


Job opportunities grew during the second quarter in the central and western part of China and in third-tier cities, thanks to e-commerce and the sharing economy.


Chinese job recruitment website Zhaopin and the China Institute for Employment Research jointly released their second quarter employment report recently. The report showed that first-tier cities, as well as the country's eastern region generally, continued to generate the majority of new job opportunities. Eastern China generated 73 percent of them.

Yet the employment situation in the less-developed middle and western regions of China had improved, compared with the same period last year. New jobs in Central China grew at the fastest rate, reaching 29 percent of the total. Western China was next, with 23 percent.

Third-tier cities and other less-developed areas, despite having relatively low numbers, saw 27 percent growth in new job openings compared with same period last year.

Zeng Xiangquan, director of the China Institute for Employment Research, said the overall employment situation in the second quarter had improved from the first quarter. The index－the proportion of job vacancies for each job seeker－increased from 1.71 to 1.93.

"In the second half of the year, we could still see a drop in the index. The competition in job market could become fiercer," said Zeng. "However, the overall picture is stabilizing."

Guo Sheng, CEO of Zhaopin, said the biggest problem underlying the job pressure in China is the mismatch between employers and job seekers.

"The reasons behind the mismatch are complicated," Guo said. "We see job opportunities cluster in regions that are not provinces with large populations. Labor mobility is not enough to meet this demand. Besides, many job seekers continue to look for opportunities in traditional industries that are cutting positions."

For example, in the internet industry about 11 job vacancies had only one applicant, while in the mining industry, about 100 job seekers competed for 24 jobs.

One solution to the structural unbalance is the sharing economy and e-commerce, Guo said.

According to Didi Dache, the car-hailing platform, it has provided 3.89 million job opportunities in 17 provinces that are cutting industrial overcapacity and jobs.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said an estimated 1.8 million employees in the iron and coal industry will be laid off in the process of reducing excess industrial capacity in China.

@AndrewJin

Plenty of jobs here, just prove u got what it needs!

Xining City, Qinghai Province, Northwest China
GDP growth of the first season 2016, 9.5%!

 

[Jlaw]

Jobs growing, but applicants are lagging
China Daily, July 25, 2016

Job seekers attend a job fair in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province. [Photo/Xinhua]


Job opportunities grew during the second quarter in the central and western part of China and in third-tier cities, thanks to e-commerce and the sharing economy.


Chinese job recruitment website Zhaopin and the China Institute for Employment Research jointly released their second quarter employment report recently. The report showed that first-tier cities, as well as the country's eastern region generally, continued to generate the majority of new job opportunities. Eastern China generated 73 percent of them.

Yet the employment situation in the less-developed middle and western regions of China had improved, compared with the same period last year. New jobs in Central China grew at the fastest rate, reaching 29 percent of the total. Western China was next, with 23 percent.

Third-tier cities and other less-developed areas, despite having relatively low numbers, saw 27 percent growth in new job openings compared with same period last year.

Zeng Xiangquan, director of the China Institute for Employment Research, said the overall employment situation in the second quarter had improved from the first quarter. The index－the proportion of job vacancies for each job seeker－increased from 1.71 to 1.93.

"In the second half of the year, we could still see a drop in the index. The competition in job market could become fiercer," said Zeng. "However, the overall picture is stabilizing."

Guo Sheng, CEO of Zhaopin, said the biggest problem underlying the job pressure in China is the mismatch between employers and job seekers.

"The reasons behind the mismatch are complicated," Guo said. "We see job opportunities cluster in regions that are not provinces with large populations. Labor mobility is not enough to meet this demand. Besides, many job seekers continue to look for opportunities in traditional industries that are cutting positions."

For example, in the internet industry about 11 job vacancies had only one applicant, while in the mining industry, about 100 job seekers competed for 24 jobs.

One solution to the structural unbalance is the sharing economy and e-commerce, Guo said.

According to Didi Dache, the car-hailing platform, it has provided 3.89 million job opportunities in 17 provinces that are cutting industrial overcapacity and jobs.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said an estimated 1.8 million employees in the iron and coal industry will be laid off in the process of reducing excess industrial capacity in China.

@AndrewJin

not a bad problem to have if there are many jobs and not enough people to fill them. Politicians would kill to have problems like this in Canada.

 

[TaiShang]

not a bad problem to have if there are many jobs and not enough people to fill them. Politicians would kill to have problems like this in Canada.

I agree. The alternative is definitely less desirable.

What needs to be done (as it seems to be the case) is to tap into the central and western parts of the country as the next growth areas.

I even see it as a positive incentive for companies to go inland.

 

[Three_Kingdoms]

This dark sky reserve is good for astronomy and tourism.

True. It is an ideal site to construct our second mega-sized telescope in search of aliens!

 

[ahojunk]

Very good news for Tibet and Chongqing......

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China's Tibet comes on top of regional GDP growth in H1
(Xinhua) Updated: 2016-07-26 07:52

A woman in Tibetan costume in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. Oct 10, 2014. [Photo/IC]


LHASA - Tibet came top of 25 Chinese provinces and municipalities that had released their half-year GDP growth figure as of Monday, thanks to investment in infrastructure and local industries.

The economic growth of Tibet Autonomous Region was 10.6 percent during the first half this year, extending a 23-year streak of double digit growth and up 3.9 percent points from the national average in the same period.

Southwest municipality Chongqing also reported economic growth of 10.6 percent in the first half, joining Tibet and a string of hinterland provinces that have defied the economic headwinds holding back growth in the more developed eastern coastal provinces.

Stellar economic growth in the country's western region came as authorities ramp up infrastructure spending to offset a decline in foreign trade and private investment.

Tibet's robust growth is underpinned by strong investment in infrastructure.

The autonomous region also invested in tourism, bottled water and food manufacturing in hopes of making them into pillar industries to drive sustainable growth in the long term.

The poverty alleviation program also helped stimulate growth, with over 2 billion yuan already invested in relocation program.

The regional authorities also eyed double digit growth in fiscal income, household disposable income and fixed assets investment in the five years ending 2020.

 

[ahojunk]

Signs of ancient humans found on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Source: Xinhua 2016-07-26 13:47:37

XINING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Archeologists in northwest China's Qinghai Province have confirmed human activity at an altitude of 4,000 meters on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, dating back over 10,000 years.

Archeologists with Qinghai Normal University and Qinghai archeological research institute discovered a prehistoric ash layer in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai in 2013. On Monday, Hou Guangliang of Qinghai Normal University, confirmed that the layer is residue of human activity.

Dozens of stone tools were found at the same site, showing that prehistoric humans lived, hunted and made tools in the harsh environment over 10,000 years ago. It is the oldest evidence of human activity found above 4,000 meters on the plateau.

Hou said, the discovery is of great significance to research on how ancient humans coped in extreme environments.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has an average altitude of over 4,000 meters, with low levels of oxygen, low temperatures, strong winds and intense ultraviolet light.

 

[TaiShang]

Tibet disaster relief warehouse opens
Xinhua, July 25, 2016

Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region has opened its largest warehouse for disaster relief supplies, local authorities said.

Costing over 52 million yuan (7.8 million U.S. dollars) and covering 3.7 hectares, the facility contains about 270,000 items, including tents, quilts, coats and other emergency goods, said Soinam Chagba, head of the regional disaster relief supply reserve center, on Sunday.

Situated beside a freight depot in the region's capital, Lhasa, supplies can be distributed to the surrounding areas via road or railway, officials said.

Tibet has long been vulnerable to natural disasters, including earthquakes, landslides and snowstorms. Accordingly, it is hoped the new facility will ensure speedy aid should disaster strike. The latest natural disaster to hit the region, an avalanche, killed nine people in Ngari Prefecture last Sunday.

 

[TaiShang]

Rail line for LNG opens between China and Kazakhstan
CRI, July 31, 2016

File photo shows the site of an ongoing construction project in an oil and gas treatment plant in Kazakhstan. [Photo: cnpc.com.cn]


The first train carrying liquefied natural gas from Kazakhstan to China has arrived at the border crossing at Xinjiang.

It's arrival is being hailed as the next step in greater energy transport connections between China and central Asian countries.

The new rail link for Liquified Natural Gas is expected to help shore-up LNG resources, which have been coming up short in China due to growing demand and the limited capasity at the sea ports to transfer LNG onshore.

Wang Xinchun, director of the Alashankou Free Trade Zone's economic development bureau in Xinjiang, says their port of entry is going to significantly increase energy transport options for China.

"There will be one train each week, which will transport 300-thousand tons year. In the future, we expect to be able to increase the annual LNG imports to 800-thouisand tons or more according to market demand and the needs of domestic companies."

The border crossing at Alashankou in Xinjiang has seen over 8.7 million tons of goods worth over 3.5-billion US dollars pass through so far this year.

 

[TaiShang]

Good initiative. Squeeze (any) religion out of all public domains by force and conviction. Once religion is expressed heavily in the public space, it gets political. Once religion gets political, it gets oppressive and violent.

China has finally seen that what matters is to dry the swamp rather than fighting the mosquitos.

It must also not forget about the international dimension. The US gives political support. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and several others give financial and ideological support. These have to be dealt with, as well.

Fight against extremist religiosity is an important aspect of Xinjiang development.

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Xinjiang toughens anti-terror stance
China Daily, August 3, 2016

The latest anti-terrorism regulation in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will help to prevent terrorists from using religion to lure people into terrorist activities, anti-terrorism experts said on Tuesday.

Under the new regulation, which took effect on Monday, people who expand the concept of halal in Islam - which means adherence to dietary laws - to include other areas of life will face detention and fines.

In recent years, the region has seen many cases of terrorists and extremists making people believe that bank notes, ID cards and marriage certificates are not halal, so people become isolated from modern society and are easily radicalized.

The regulation, which is a legal interpretation of China's Anti-Terrorism Law, will also punish those who use the preaching of religious teachings to promote terrorism or extremism.

"The detailed regulation is drafted to deal with the anti-terrorism situations that are unique in Xinjiang, which faces a greater terrorist threat than any other place in China," said Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

Xinjiang has always been China's front line against terrorism. The penetration of religious extremism has led to an increasing number of terrorist attacks in recent years.

"Many acts of religious extremism used by terrorists to manipulate others are not clarified in the Anti-Terrorism Law. Including them in the legal interpretation can help Xinjiang prevent people from getting involved in terrorist activities," he said.

The Anti-Terrorism Law, which was implemented on Jan 1, is a general guideline for China's anti-terrorism work, and Xinjiang desperately needs the legal interpretation to make sure the law in the region is practical, Li said.

The regulation was passed by the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang regional People's Congress on Friday. Xinjiang is the first provincial-level region to introduce the legal interpretation of the Anti-Terrorism Law.

"Authorities in Xinjiang have gained rich experiences in combating terrorism in recent years. Such experiences have helped us to make sure the legal interpretation can effectively help Xinjiang fight terrorism in accordance with law," said Lu Ping, a member of the Standing Committee.

The regulation also gives a clear guideline for how to handle terrorist criminals in prison. Leaders of terrorist organizations and terrorist convicts who incite others while serving sentences will receive solitary confinement.

Terror convicts now need to go through risk assessments six months before release, and local courts are required to decide if the convicts can be released.

Acts of terrorism defined in the latest legal interpretation includes:

Funding, carrying out or plotting terrorist activities after receiving instructions from individuals or terrorist organizations from home or abroad.

Setting up terrorist organizations and recruiting members to organize, plan or carry out terrorist activities by preaching terrorism and religious extremism to others.

Providing facilities or organizing others for physical or tactical training for those who plan to carry out terrorist activities.

Providing assistance in transporting those who are involved in terrorist organizations' training and recruitment activities, as well as plotting or carrying out attacks.

Crossing borders illegally to receive terrorist training or joining terrorist organizations.

Using cellphones, internet, video or audio files or publications to spread terrorism and extremism.

 

[TaiShang]

China's Xinjiang H1 foreign trade grows 10 pct
Xinhua 2016-08-05

URUMQI, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The foreign trade volume of northwest China's Xinjiang Region grew more than 10 percent year on year in the first half of 2016, local authorities said on Friday.

Statistics released by Urumqi Customs showed that Xinjiang's trade value reached 47.6 billion yuan (about 7.3 billion U.S. dollars) from January to June, up 10.1 percent year on year.

Exported goods, mainly textile products, shoes and mechanical parts, reached 41.2 billion yuan, up 11.6 percent from last year.

Imported goods, including mechanical equipment and farm produce, stood at 6.38 billion yuan, up 1.3 percent year on year.

The trade surplus amount was 13.5 percent more than the amount last year.

Kazakhstan remains Xinjiang Province's top trade partner.

In 2013, Xinjiang's H1 trade exceeded 10 billion dollars. However, due in part to low international energy prices, depreciation of Central Asian currencies and slower economic growth in Xinjiang, trade has slipped in the last three years.

The Central Government and Xinjiang regional government have boosted trade through expanding trade channels between Xinjiang and its trading partners, improving transportation and investing in trade information systems.