Satellite imagery shows China's achievements in combating desertification in Xinjiang

Satellite imagery has showed that China's effort to contain the expansion of the extra-large Taklimakan Desert by encircling it with a sand-blocking green belt has paid off.

The Taklimakan Desert, located in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, covers 337,600 square km and its circumference measures 3,046 km, making it the largest desert in China and the second-largest drifting desert in the world.

The project to fully enclose the desert with a green belt spanned over 40 years, and its completion was achieved at the end of 2024.

On the northern edge of the Taklimakan Desert lies the Aiximan Lake area, located in Awat County, Aksu Prefecture.

Previously plagued by desertification, soil erosion and wetland degradation, this lake area in the western part of the Aksu River basin was once a major source of windblown sand in the basin's oasis.

Today, it is a lush landscape, with expansive forests standing tall and lucid rivers meandering along the forest's perimeter.

This transformation began in 2021 with the implementation of Aksu's ecological restoration and desertification control project. Harnessing recycled water resources from Aksu and Wensu County, the project utilized artificial irrigation as its central strategy to establish an ecological protection forest. This was complemented by the cultivation of economic and timber forests.

The region regenerates approximately 50 million cubic meters of water annually, supporting the irrigation needs of around 500,000 mu (about 33,333 hectares) of ecological restoration forests.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Aiximan achieved ecological restoration across 788,500 mu (approximately 52,567 hectares). The forest coverage rate in the region jumped from 4.5 percent to 45 percent, and the wetland vegetation coverage rate rose to 82 percent.

Qiemo County on the southeastern edge of the Taklimakan Desert also undertook a desert control project at the same time, including the planting of 150,000 suosuo tree saplings across 800 hectares of previously desertified land.

Moving farther south to the edge of the Taklimakan Desert, one can witness a burgeoning green energy sector.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, photovoltaic stations were constructed along the desert's southern edge, and large plantations of vegetation such as Alfalfa emerged on the outskirts of this vast desert, effectively halting the desert's expansion.

Satellite imagery shows China's achievements in combating desertification in Xinjiang

China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao outlined the key priorities of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting, which opened on Friday in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province.

In an interview with CGTN ahead of the two-day meeting, Wang said free trade, digital cooperation and green economy are high on the agenda of the meeting.

"The key areas include advancing regional economic integration and the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, supporting the World Trade Organization (WTO) in strengthening digital cooperation and developing green economy. At present, the international situation is marked by intertwined turbulence and chaos, with intensified geopolitical instability. The rise of unilateralism and protectionism poses serious challenges to the international economic and trade order, disrupting global and Asia-Pacific development. Against this backdrop, all parties have higher expectations for this trade ministers' meeting, hoping that it can build consensus and deliver outcomes," Wang said.

This year marks China's third time hosting the APEC meetings and the 35th anniversary of its membership.

By 2025, China had become the largest trading partner of 13 APEC economies. Trade between China and APEC economies reached 3.7 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for 57.8 percent of China's total foreign trade.

China has signed 24 free trade agreements or economic and trade arrangements with 31 countries and regions, including 15 APEC economies. In recent years, China has also completed upgrades of free trade agreements with APEC economies such as Singapore and Peru.

The minister said that China has always been a firm supporter and an important contributor to APEC.

"We have actively shared our vast market and development opportunities with all parties. China's door to the world will only open wider and wider. Facing the common challenges, China will continue to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country, further deepen reform, expand high-standard opening-up, and continue to provide new opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region and the world with its new achievements in Chinese modernization," the minister said.

China's Commerce Minister outlines priorities for 32nd APEC trade ministers' meeting