China's Ministry of Commerce will support the Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in enhancing industrial exchanges and cooperation with the central and eastern regions to build it into an example for high-quality opening up in border areas, said a spokesman of the ministry on Thursday.
The Xinjiang FTZ, the first in China's northwestern border regions, officially started operation on Nov. 1 last year. The FTZ encompasses three areas, namely Urumqi, Horgos and Kashgar.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, He Yadong, the spokesman, said that since the establishment of the FTZ last year, the border ports between China and Kazakhstan, as well as China and Kyrgyzstan, have achieved rapid customs clearance for agricultural and related products, with the customs declaration time for agricultural products reduced from five days to just one day.
He also said that many projects, such as the expansion of the China-Europe Express Railway Assembly Center and the establishment of a multimodal transportation customs center in Urumqi, have been put into operation.
"In the next phase, we will work closely with Xinjiang to implement the strategic upgrade of the FTZ. We will promote the implementation of pilot measures in alignment with international rules and standards, help businesses benefit fully from policy dividends, and ensure that pilot measures are effectively replicated and implemented in other places. On the other hand, we will continue to deepen westward opening up, build a model for high-quality development in border areas, advance industrial exchange and cooperation between Xinjiang FTZ and the central and eastern regions, and support the FTZ in focusing on key industries to carry out integrated innovations across the entire value chain," said He.
Xinjiang FTZ aims at an example for high-quality opening up in border areas: spokesman
