On 15 November 2021, Mr. Guo Chuanwei, Director of the Trade and Investment Division (TID) of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), attended and addressed the Industrial and Business Sub-forum of 2021 China Xinjiang Development Forum in Beijing at the invitation of the Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce. Guests including Mr. Jean Louis Robinson, Ambassador of Madagascar to China, Mr. Ilhan Osman, Commissioner of the Department of Commerce of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, attended the event and made speeches. Diplomatic envoys from the embassies of Azerbaijan, South Africa, Mongolia and Pakistan, and representatives of the Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, business associations and local enterprises of Xinjiang delivered remarks.

Commissioner Ilhan Osman briefed on Xinjiang’s trade development and promoted the advantages and characteristics of Xinjiang’s international cooperation. 

The diplomats said Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is located in the core region of the Silk Road Economic Belt and serves as the key channel for exchanges with countries alongside. In recent years, Xinjiang has made remarkable achievements in various undertakings. People witnessed great efforts made by local governments to eliminate poverty and changes brought by economic growth. Agriculture and high-tech enterprises in Xinjiang are developing rapidly, fostering economic complementarity with many other countries and huge room for cooperation.

Director Guo Chuanwei mentioned that Xinjiang is a key hub in the building of the Belt and Road and an important part of the New Land-Sea Corridor of International Trade. Xinjiang’s import and export volume with ASEAN Member States (AMS), is not large at present, reaching 1.1 billion US dollars in 2020. Yet the figure witnessed a substantial increase of 29% compared with 2019, ranking 4th in terms of speed among China’s 31 provinces (excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao) and showing great growth potential. Xinjiang may give full play to its role as the New Land-Sea Corridor of International Trade, and seek synergy with AMS as well as other countries and regions to enrich the content and improve the level of cooperation.

2021 China Xinjiang Development Forum is hosted by the State Council Information Office of China. Under the theme of “Deepening Economic and Trade Cooperation and Sharing Development Achievements”, the Industrial and Business Sub-forum aims to present the economic achievements of Xinjiang and further boost Xinjiang’s international trade.