On 24 August 2017, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) visited Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone (UETD), Urumqi Free Trade Zone and Urumqi International Land Port Area, learned about the development and future plan, and exchanged views with the management.

Mr. Song Jingang, Deputy Director of the Administration Committee of UETD briefed on the background and developments of the said zones to Secretary-General Yang Xiuping. He said that UETD is a state-level comprehensive economic and technological development zone. By the end of 2016, there were more than 8,000 enterprises registered in UETD. It hoped to form an advanced manufacturing growth point at hundred billion yuan level. The establishment of Urumqi Free Trade Zone is an important measure of Xinjiang to implement the Belt and Road Initiative. It will focus on bonded logistics, bonded processing, foreign trade, international procurement, commodity exhibition, international transit, finance and other aspects of business. Urumqi International Land Port Area will take modern logistics industry as the core, and promote the coordinated development of international trade, high-end service and advanced manufacturing industries after its establishment. He hoped to receive ACC’s strong support, and welcomed ASEAN countries’ relevant businesses to UETD to discuss cooperation.

Secretary-General Yang spoke highly of the achievements of UETD, and expected to see the early operation of the above-mentioned zones. She noted that ASEAN countries and China are geographical neighbours and have huge development potentials as well as big market space. She hoped that the UETD would keep expanding external communication and promoting the exchanges and communication with ASEAN countries, as well as contributing more to ASEAN-China relations.