Xinjiang reports steady foreign trade growth from January-May

URUMQI, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region saw its foreign trade expand 22.9 percent to a total of 227.67 billion yuan (about 31.73 billion U.S. dollars) in the first five months of 2025, according to data from customs authorities.

During the period, the region's trade growth outpaced the national average by over 20 percentage points, and its trade volume surpassed last year's six-month total, Urumqi Customs said. In May alone, Xinjiang's foreign trade totaled 61.81 billion yuan -- a year-on-year increase of 30.8 percent.

As the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) continues to forge ahead, Xinjiang has committed to building itself into an important corridor linking Asia and Europe, and to serving as a gateway for China's opening-up efforts in the west.

Xinjiang traded with 222 countries and regions during the period. Trade with the BRI participating countries rose 13.8 percent year on year, accounting for 84.8 percent of the region's total foreign trade.

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were Xinjiang's top two trading partners in the January-May period. Trade with the five Central Asian nations -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- made up 49.5 percent of Xinjiang's total trade and represented 39.4 percent of China's overall trade with those nations.

Urumqi Customs official Jiao Liang also attributed the growth to surging private-sector activity. From January to May, the autonomous region's private enterprises saw a 25 percent increase in imports and exports, accounting for 94.7 percent of its total foreign trade.

"Looking ahead, we will deepen reforms and innovations in supervision models, and expand the adoption of proven practices," Jiao said. "We will also strengthen support for bulk-resource commodity imports and work toward a more optimized trade structure in Xinjiang."

Xinjiang has an annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth target of around 6 percent, after its GDP topped 2 trillion yuan last year, according to the region's government work report.

In 2025, Xinjiang will further advance its high-quality development, deepen reform and expand high-level opening up, the report said. ■