900,000 juvenile mitten crabs released at Xinjiang breeding base

Around 900,000 juvenile mitten crabs have been released at a breeding base at one edge of the Taklimakan Desert, China's largest desert.

Located in the city of Tumxuk in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the breeding base's ponds amid the area's saline and alkaline soil create an ideal habitat for the mitten crabs.

Calcium and magnesium elements in the water can promote the species' growth, during which the water quality is improved, so that the water can then be used to irrigate farmlands.

The newly released batch is expected to hit the market in September.

In efforts to expand the scale while bettering the farming system, the breeding base plans to release another batch of 20 million juvenile mitten crabs in July and add more species.

Enterprises from the United States are welcome to seize the development opportunities in China and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with the country, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said in Beijing on Sunday.

He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with a delegation of the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC).

Noting that China-U.S. ties are the world's most important bilateral relations, He said it is hoped that the USCBC will continue to play its role as a bridge to promote friendly exchanges and the steady and healthy development of economic and trade relations between China and the United States.

It is also hoped that U.S. enterprises can fully seize the development opportunities in China, make good use of the potential of the Chinese market, and inject more stability and positive energy into China-U.S. economic and trade relations, He added.

Rajesh Subramaniam, board chair of the USCBC, Sean Stein, president of the USCBC, and other members from the delegation noted that the U.S. business sector is optimistic about China's economic development prospects. They expressed the willingness to further explore the Chinese market, play an active role, and continuously deepen the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.