Heavy snow sweeps northwest China's Xinjiang, affecting transport

Heavy snow has hit multiple parts of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Wednesday, affecting transport and triggering emergency measures to ensure travel safety across the region.

Snowfall continued in various counties and cities of the Ili River Valley in Xinjiang on Wednesday.

The snow was particularly heavy in mountainous areas, with some places experiencing heavy snow to blizzards, leading to blocked road sections and stranded vehicles. Local government organized large machinery for multiple rounds of snow clearance to help trapped vehicles leave the affected sections.

"The vehicle was skidding badly on Daban (mountain pass). The traffic police helped us push the car and even deflated the tires (to increase traction). Their help was tremendous, and I'm very grateful to these officers," said Zhao Shijun, a driver.  

The Guozigou section of the G30 Lianyungang-Khorgas Expressway is the only road passage in and out of the Ili River Valley during winter.

Starting Wednesday afternoon, wind and snow intensified in the Guozigou section, with snow accumulation reaching nearly 20 centimeters at its deepest. Local traffic police implemented two-way traffic restrictions on the Guozigou section and turned back vehicles at the entrance of this section.

In the early hours of Thursday, the wind and snow conditions eased. Highway departments accelerated snow-clearing operations. Currently, there are no trapped or stranded vehicles within the Guozigou area.

Horgos City in Xinjiang welcomed its first snowfall this winter on Wednesday, accompanied by a strong temperature drop, with the minimum temperature expected to fall to minus 20 degrees Celsius.

"We've been looking forward to this snow for so long. We just want to go skiing at the ski resort right away, and we've already stocked up on tickets," said a local resident.

Local municipal management departments dispatched over 70 large snowplows to promptly clear city roads, addressing the impact of the snowy weather on travel.

The local meteorological department predicts that this snowy and cold weather will continue for another two to three days.

To cope with the snowy and cold weather, livestock officials in multiple parts of Xinjiang have been visiting herders door-to-door, guiding them in adopting cold protection and warmth preservation measures to ensure the safety of livestock through the winter.

Heavy snow sweeps northwest China's Xinjiang, affecting transport

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday presided over a State Council executive meeting that studied work on building a unified national market and reviewed and approved a plan for the development of a modern emergency response system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

Noting that building a unified national market is essential to advancing high-quality development, the meeting called for deepening institutional frameworks in areas such as property rights protection, market access, fair competition, social credit and market exit mechanisms.

The meeting also urged efforts to advance high-standard connectivity of market infrastructure to facilitate smooth economic circulation and effectively reduce logistics costs across society.

Emergency management is critical to protecting people's lives and property, the meeting said. It called for accelerating the development of a modern emergency response system, deepening reform and innovation in emergency management, and improving coordinated response mechanisms.

Efforts should be made to strengthen risk prevention at the source, enhance monitoring, forecasting and early warning, and accelerate a shift in governance toward proactive prevention, according to the meeting.

A draft revision of the Law on the People's Bank of China was also discussed and approved in principle at the meeting, which decided to submit the draft to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

Chinese premier chairs State Council executive meeting