China's Xinjiang is rapidly building a modern, integrated transport network at an unprecedented pace and scale, bringing both economic opportunities and greater convenience to local people.
From expressways cutting through mountains to railways crossing vast deserts, the autonomous region's expanding transport arteries are helping industries grow and making travel faster and easier.
Officials say the network is designed to achieve four key goals: seamless circulation within the region, faster links with the rest of China, smoother travel between southern and northern Xinjiang, and stronger connections with neighboring countries.
Speeding through the heart of the Tianshan Mountains, construction of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway is in full swing. In just over two months, the expressway -- the first ever to traverse the mountains to connect southern and northern Xinjiang -- will be ready for traffic.
Along the route, new industrial parks and cold-chain logistics hubs are already taking shape.
In Hejing County, which will be linked to the expressway, a dairy company producing 40,000 tons of fresh milk annually is expanding storage facilities and purchasing refrigerated trucks to launch a new milk distribution line.
"Once the Urumqi-Yuli expressway opens, we will be able to cross the Tianshan Mountains in just 20 minutes. We've calculated that this will save us 15 million yuan (around 2 million U.S. dollars) a year in transport costs. We are very much looking forward to the expressway's opening and to seeing Xinjiang's high-quality milk reach the whole country quickly," said Yu Ruihong, chairman of the dairy company.
Across the vast expanse of Xinjiang, areas once isolated from the outside world are being filled with modern transportation hubs.
From Tashkurgan Khunjerab Airport, the region's first high-altitude airport at 3,258 meters, to the Yuli-Ruoqiang expressway built on extreme geographic conditions, and the Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway cutting through the Taklimakan Desert, the integrated transport network has made travel for people of all ethnic groups much easier.
"I'm going to Korla and will arrive tomorrow morning. In the past, the journey would have taken at least six or seven days. Now this one train can carry so many people, and you can go anywhere you want. It's just wonderful," said passenger Mairupu Bake.
So far, Xinjiang's railway network has reached 9,557 kilometers in length, covering more than 80 percent of county-level areas. The region now has 28 airports, the largest number among all Chinese provincial-level regions, operating 628 air routes.
Its road network has also expanded to 231,900 kilometers, with expressways linking all prefectures and cities, national and provincial highways crisscrossing the land, and rural roads reaching villages and households. Even once rugged herding trails have been transformed into scenic routes connecting grasslands, forests and villages.
"Now the roads are really good, and more tourists are coming. Just this summer, we earned 100,000 yuan (about 14,000 U.S. dollars), and we are very happy," said Rebati Nuerdanbek, a villager from Xinyuan County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
As Xinjiang's transport web continues to expand, the region is drawing ever closer to the rest of China and the wider world.
Expanding transport network spurs growth, connectivity across Xinjiang
Expanding transport network spurs growth, connectivity across Xinjiang
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that mediation efforts of the Pakistani side regarding the Middle East tensions are in the common interests of all parties.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in his talks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing.
During their talks, the two sides exchanged views on current international issues and regional conflicts.
Wang welcomed the visit of the Pakistani side to Beijing for discussion on easing tensions in the Middle East, just after its holding of a quadrilateral foreign ministers' meeting in Islamabad.
He said China supports and looks forward to Pakistan playing a unique and important role in easing the situation and resuming peace talks. This process is no easy task, and Pakistan's mediation efforts are in line with the common interests of all parties, Wang added.
He noted China is willing to make joint efforts with Pakistan to end the hostilities as soon as possible, create opportunities for peace and open the window for peace talks.
On bilateral ties, Wang said this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan, calling on both sides to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and constantly advance the building of a China-Pakistan community with a shared future.
For his part, Dar said the Pakistan-China friendship is precious and deeply rooted in people's hearts, adding that Pakistan is willing to work with China to promote the continuous development of the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
Dar thanked China for supporting Pakistan's mediation of the situation in Iran, adding that the current conflict has disrupted international energy supplies and caused heavy damage to developing countries.
Noting that solutions can only be found through negotiation, Dar said Pakistan is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to push all parties to start peace talks as soon as possible and restore regional peace.
The two sides also put forward a five-point initiative for restoring peace and stability in the Gulf and the Middle East region:
I. Immediate cessation of hostilities: China and Pakistan call for immediate cessation of hostilities and utmost efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to all war-affected areas.
II. Start of peace talks as soon as possible. Sovereignty, territorial integrity, national independence and security of Iran and the Gulf states should be safeguarded. Dialogue and diplomacy is the only viable option to resolve conflicts. China and Pakistan support the relevant parties in initiating talks, with all parties committing to peaceful resolution of disputes, and refraining from the use or the threat of use of force during peace talks.
III. Security of nonmilitary targets. The principle of protecting civilians in military conflict should be observed. China and Pakistan call on parties to the conflict to immediately stop attacks on civilians and nonmilitary targets, and fully adhere to International Humanitarian Law, and stop attacking important infrastructure, including energy, desalination and power facilities, and peaceful nuclear infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.
IV. Security of shipping lanes. The Strait of Hormuz, together with its adjacent waters, is an important global shipping route for goods and energy. China and Pakistan call on the parties to protect the security of ships and crew members stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, allow the early and safe passage of civilian and commercial ships, and restore normal passage through the Strait as soon as possible.
V. Primacy of the United Nations Charter. China and Pakistan call for efforts to practice true multilateralism, to jointly strengthen the primacy of the United Nations, and to support the conclusion of an agreement for establishing a comprehensive peace framework and realizing lasting peace based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law.
Pakistan's mediation efforts in common interests of all parties: Chinese FM
Pakistan's mediation efforts in common interests of all parties: Chinese FM
