Foreign enterprises optimistic about development prospects in NW China's Xinjiang

"There are numerous opportunities in Xinjiang awaiting discerning investors," said Hendrik Sybrand Alblas, operations director of Alblas International Logistics in the Netherlands.

After loading PVC particles, automotive parts, and other merchandise, the freight trucks of Alblas Transport (Xinjiang) Co., Ltd. set off from the Urumqi International Land Port Area for Europe.

In 2009, the multinational corporation relocated its Chinese headquarters from Shanghai to Urumqi, attracted by the policy opportunities for the development of western regions in China as well as Xinjiang’s strategic location.

"Xinjiang, connecting the East and the West, offers immense convenience for international road freight transport," said Alblas.

"Our goal is to be able to transport from the east coast in China until the middle of Europe within 10 days," said Alblas.

Krasik Pavel, head of Urumqi Slavic Food Sales Co., Ltd., is also attracted by Xinjiang’s advantageous location.

"Xinjiang's proximity to Kazakhstan provides us with an advantage. We export frozen food from Belarus to China by utilizing the transit route through Kazakhstan, clearing customs in Xinjiang, and ultimately delivering to our partners in various cities across China," Pavel explained.

Krasik Pavel, head of Urumqi Slavic Food Sales Co., Ltd., consults on business policies at the foreign enterprise service center in the Urumqi Economic and Technological Development Zone in Toutunhe district of Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Han Ting)

In January of this year, Krasik Pavel's company successfully registered in the Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone with the help of the Xinjiang-Central Asia Interconnectivity Incubator.

To date, the Xinjiang-Central Asia Interconnectivity Incubator has helped 14 foreign companies settle in the Urumqi area of the Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone.

In recent years, Xinjiang has become a crucial gateway for China's westward opening, thanks to the country's deepening cooperation with neighboring nations and the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone, established in November 2023, has attracted the attention of Dilixiati Maimaiti, chief representative of Alblas International Logistics China.

Dilixiati Maimaiti is eagerly anticipating the zone's preferential policies, saying they are expected to draw in more import and export goods, providing a greater source of goods for road transportation.

Alblas International Logistics currently operates over 600 trucks, each capable of carrying 80-90 cubic meters of cargo. Dilixiati Maimaiti plans to invest in an additional 30 to 40 trucks this year, aiming to deploy a total of 100 trucks within three years.

A freight truck of Alblas Transport (Xinjiang) Co., Ltd. slowly drives out of the Urumqi International Land Port Area in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Han Ting)

"Since the BRI was proposed, we can see that the development of roads from China to Central Asia and the cooperation between various countries are improving. We can see by ourselves how the trade is improving, and we see that the volume of goods transported via the Silk Road is growing year by year," said Alblas.