China-Central Asia trade rises in 4 months

China’s north-western Xinjiang Autonomous Region saw its foreign trade with the five Central Asian countries increase by 92.2% to 75.11 billion yuan (about US $10.7 billion) during the first four months of this year. 

Media reported that this figure represented 43.4% of the country’s total trade with the five Central Asian states, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, during this period.

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan became the Xinjiang region’s three main trading partners during the first four months of this year. Among them, Xinjiang’s foreign trade with Kazakhstan reached 35.48 billion yuan, an increase of 121.7%.

Wen Ping, Urumqi customs official, said Xinjiang would continue to give full space to policy and geographical advantages vis-à-vis the core region of the Silk Road economic belt, and would continuously improve customs clearance facilitation procedures, facilitate industry and supply chains, seize opportunities for economic and trade cooperation with Central Asia, and promote high-quality openness and development.