Xinjiang to use geographical advantage to expand opening-up

The advantages of location, efficiency of transportation, industrial support, and policy support, together contributed to the rapid growth of foreign trade of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Zheng Jun, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress and secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Department of Finance of Xinjiang, said on Friday.

He made the remarks during the ongoing two sessions in Beijing.

In 2020, Xinjiang's total foreign trade volume stood at only 156.907 billion yuan ($22.72 billion). From 2022 to 2025, the data shows that Xinjiang broke successively through the 200 billion yuan, 300 billion yuan, 400 billion yuan, and 500-billion-yuan thresholds. In 2025, it reached 520.37 billion yuan, up 19.9 percent year-on-year, with the growth rate ranking first in China, Zheng said.

"We strive for advantages through location," he said. "The country has endowed Xinjiang with the strategic opportunities of serving as a 'golden transport corridor' linking Asia and Europe and a window of opening-up to the west."

At present, Xinjiang has established trade relations with 228 countries and regions, and its circle of friends is continuously expanding.

Besides, Xinjiang's foreign trade owes to the optimization and upgrading of its industrial structure.

In the past, export was dominated by energy and raw materials, which is shifting to a structure of deep-processing products with high technology and high added value. In 2025, Xinjiang's exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 186.5 billion yuan, an increase of 40.7 percent year-on-year. Exports of electric vehicles and solar cells rose by 99.9 percent and 187.4 percent, respectively.

Xinjiang's status as a cross-border logistics hub is becoming increasingly consolidated, and an international logistics network integrating railway, highway, and air transport has been built. This enables domestic logistics to accelerate and helps "Made in Xinjiang" products connect rapidly with global markets, he said.

Xinjiang has also put forward a series of policies to promote goods trade, service trade, and digital trade. Multiple digital, smart, and convenient public service platforms are being upgraded.

"During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), relying on its geographical advantages, Xinjiang will accelerate institutional opening-up and integration of trade and investment," Zheng said. "Xinjiang will achieve high-quality development of foreign trade with steady growth in scale, diversified market players, and continuously optimized structure."