Smart irrigation in Xinjiang merges flood control, forest regeneration for Euphrates poplar trees

Local rangers in Xinjiang's Tumxuk City have been digging canals to divert seasonal floodwaters for forest irrigation in preparation for the seeding season of Euphrates poplar trees.

The city has organized nearly 100 rangers for the project, which aims to channel water from the Yarkant River into the Euphrates poplar forests, allowing the seeds to sieze on a critical window for germination.

Euphrates poplar seeds have a life cycle of only 20 to 30 days. With sufficient water, they can sprout within 24 hours. However, if they lose moisture, they quickly lose viability.

Running through the Tarim Basin, the 1,289-km-long Yarkant River is the most flood-prone river in China's Xinjiang. The canals will not only help expand tree populations, but will also mitigate flood pressure.

Euphrates poplar seeds are minuscule. Rangers must be familiar with the distribution of the seed-shedding trees and accurately time the irrigation to ensure the seeds get water at the right moment.

"We are increasing the intensity and expanding the coverage of irrigation to ensure the seeds effectively contact the soil and quickly grow into young Euphrates poplar trees," said Jiang Xiaojin, a forest ranger in Tumxuk's Hai'an township.

Tumxuk City is located on the northwestern edge of China's largest desert, the Taklimakan Desert. Plans are underway to irrigate 280,000 18,667 hectares of natural Euphrates poplar forest, with the project expected to be completed by the end of September.

Smart irrigation in Xinjiang merges flood control, forest regeneration for Euphrates poplar trees

South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region saw a year-on-year growth of 10 percent in trade with countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from January to November this year, according to Nanning Customs.

In the first 11 months of 2025, Guangxi's imports and exports with ASEAN members reached 384.22 billion yuan (about 54.46 billion U.S. dollars), accounting for 52.9 percent of the provincial-level region's total foreign trade during this period, said the authority.

Among them, Vietnam remained Guangxi's largest trading partner in the ASEAN region, with trade growing by 7.1 percent. The growth rates with Indonesia and Singapore were also remarkable, standing at 51.7 percent and 62.7 percent respectively.

During the same period, Guangxi imported and exported a total of 726.54 billion yuan worth of goods, increasing by 9.5 percent year on year, the customs data showed.

South China's Guangxi sees 10-pct growth in trade with ASEAN in Jan-Nov period