Free trade zone drives foreign trade, industrial development and opening up in Xinjiang

A China-Europe freight train leaves the Urumqi International Land Port Area in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Fei)

The China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) was established on Nov. 1, 2023, comprising Urumqi, Kashgar and Horgos. It is the first pilot FTZ in China's northwestern border regions.

Since its launch, Xinjiang's imports and exports have grown by 20 percent to 30 percent annually, keeping it among the fastest-growing areas in the country.

In early August, Consun Pharmaceutical (Horgos) Co., Ltd. applied to local market regulators for a "three-in-one" joint review of its Phase II plant. The entire process was completed in less than 10 days, allowing the new facility to begin production by the end of the month.

"In the past, similar procedures could take two months. Now, with early commissioning, we've cut manpower, time and material costs by 60 percent, saving over 1 million yuan (about $140,000)," said Guo Lei, deputy general manager of the company.

The Horgos area of the China (Xinjiang) Pilot FTZ pioneered a "three-in-one" joint review mechanism for pharmaceutical companies. The new approach combines license modification, good manufacturing practice inspection, and registration filing into a single review process, enabling multiple certificates to be issued at once.

In the workshop of Kashgar Kangyi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., rows of newly assembled LCD monitors are shipped directly to places such as Central Asia and South Asia.

"The Kashgar area's approval efficiency and geographical advantages make a real difference," said Xie Yu, assistant to the general manager.

"Before, shipping products from Zhejiang to Central Asia meant a journey of more than 4,000 kilometers. Now, starting from Kashgar, the shortest route is just 600 kilometers, cutting delivery times and costs dramatically."

Greater efficiency is unlocking new opportunities for growth. In the first eight months of this year, 6,663 enterprises were established in the zone, up 10 percent year on year.

At the road port of Horgos, a steady flow of vehicles loaded with new energy vehicles, agricultural machinery and wind turbine blades drives out of the country. Vehicles with QR codes pass through smart checkpoints, where cameras automatically identify them and clear them for rapid exit. This is part of the "fast-track customs clearance model" for self-driving vehicle exports pioneered by Urumqi Customs. Since its launch, overall clearance efficiency at the port has improved by 80 percent.

In the first eight months of this year, 258,000 vehicles were exported through Horgos Port, up 8.5 percent year on year.

With international logistics corridors becoming increasingly smooth and efficient, Xinjiang's foreign trade is booming. In the first eight months of this year, the region's total import and export value hit 356.31 billion yuan, up 25.4 percent year on year.