A blinding sandstorm swept across parts of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China from Friday to Saturday, disrupting traffic and affecting people's daily lives and prompting local authorities to activate emergency response.
In Zepu County of Kashgar Prefecture, visibility dropped to less than 1,000 meters due to the intense dust and sand.
In Hotan Prefecture, visibility was even worse, dropping below 550 meters in some areas. The local authorities responded quickly to the extreme weather by activating an emergency response plan.
Traffic police were deployed at major intersections of roads to direct traffic and ensure the safety of local residents.
The sandstorm slightly let up in Hotan to floating dust after Saturday, with the weather expected to continue through Monday.
Sandstorm chocks Xinjiang
Senior Chinese official He Lifeng on Sunday met with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in Beijing, and the two sides exchanged views on both China-U.S. economic and trade relations and the global economy.
Noting that China's economy is maintaining its recovery momentum, He, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs, said that China's innovation-driven development has achieved remarkable results, while market expectations continue to improve, and adding that domestic demand potential and internal circulation space are huge.
China's new development pattern is taking shape at a faster pace, the fundamentals of the Chinese economy remain unchanged and its prospects remain bright, He said.
Noting that U.S.-China relations are very important and green transformation is the general trend, Paulson said that the Paulson Institute is willing to continue to contribute positively to the stability of U.S.-China relations and green and low-carbon development.
Senior Chinese official, former U.S. treasury secretary exchange views on China-U.S. economic, trade relations
