Xinjiang journey: New legend on the ancient Silk Road

BEIJING, July 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This is a report from China.or.cn about a Xinjiang journey:

Under the organization of the China Economic Cooperation Center, I and a delegation of 20 foreign business leaders and chamber of commerce executives are about to visit Xinjiang. We come from around the world, and we are all filled with anticipation for this trip.

I visited Xinjiang 10 years ago, so I'm eager to see the changes there through this visit. Xinjiang, located in northwest China, is a melting pot of various Eastern and Western civilizations. Diverse ethnic groups with different customs live here harmoniously.

In Xinjiang, it's not only the diverse civilizations that are harmoniously coexisting, but also people from all corners of the globe.

In the first 8 months of 2023, Xinjiang welcomed up to 182mln visitors. The boom in tourism is inseparable from the improvement of infrastructure.

Kashi Old Town is now a renowned 5A-rated historical and cultural site in Xinjiang. Yet, it was once considered a dilapidated town. Its impressive transformation today is thanks to a massive renovation project worth 7 billion yuan ($970 million).

During this trip, another project has drawn significant attention. In Jiashi county, located at the western edge of the Tarim Basin, more than 1.7 billion yuan was invested to bring meltwater from the snow-capped mountains to urban areas through a 1,800-kilometer pipeline. This project provides drinking water for over 460,000 residents.

Jiashi county's unique soil and climate produce high-quality plums with a delicious taste. Jiashi accounts for 40% of China's plum cultivation area and 60% of the production, making it the largest plum trading hub in the country. Support from Foshan, southern China's Guangdong province, capitalizes on Jiashi's industrial strengths, and resulted in the establishment of the Guangdong-Jiashi Modern Plum Industrial Park. This initiative has propelled the development of a complete industrial chain for Jiashi plums.

In Urumqi, the delegation visited the 2023 China-Eurasia Expo, which attracted over 1,300 Chinese and overseas enterprises. Indeed, many businesses have already keenly capitalized on the vast opportunities presented by Xinjiang's openness.

As our trip concludes, each member, including myself, has discovered their direction for investment. The most memorable part of this trip for me has been the smiles: the cheerful aunt selling egg rolls, the joyful smile of the elderly blacksmith, and the innocent smiles of the children. These smiles represent unity, progress, and prosperity, embodying Xinjiang's openness, confidence, and hope.