Li Lan, a deputy from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, during the First Session of the 14th National People’s Congress, which opened in Beijing on March 5. She is also the deputy head of the Alashankou Customs Technical Center under Urumqi Customs (COURTESY PHOTO)  

The establishment of a pilot free trade zone in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a hub of Belt and Road cooperation, will help promote international economic and trade cooperation, said Li Lan, a deputy from Xinjiang to the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), during its first session, which opened in Beijing on March 5. 

“With the implementation of opening up policies, the country’s support programs for western regions, and the constant development of Belt and Road Initiative, Xinjiang has undergone a transformation from a relatively remote inland region to the forefront of China’s opening up,” Li said. She is also the deputy head of the Alashankou Customs Technical Center under Urumqi Customs. She added that Xinjiang has the potential to play an even bigger role in the opening up of country’s western region. 

As the country’s westernmost frontier, Xinjiang borders Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. It is well placed to expand China’s trade and ties not only with these eight neighboring countries, but also act as China’s bridge to Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe. During the past five years, more than 29,400 China-Europe freight trains have passed through Xinjiang, with the number growing by an average of 23.6 percent each year, according to the autonomous region’s government work report released in January. 

“A pilot free trade zone in Xinjiang would serve as a platform for cooperation between China and its bordering countries and beyond in the fields of industrial development, trade, financial services and culture,” Li said, adding that it’s a way for Xinjiang to reach its full potential. 

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to facilitate economic growth and improve the living standards of people along the routes. By mid-February this year, China had signed cooperation agreements with 151 countries and 32 international organizations, and its annual trade value with the initiative’s participating countries almost doubled from 2013 to 2022, said Guo Weimin, the spokesperson for the First Session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference at a press conference on March 3. 

Li also supports the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. As a new route for the China-Europe freight trains, it will further contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative, benefiting the three countries involved and other countries along the route.  

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

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