Xinjiang’s unique advantages

    Xinjiang is rich in natural resources and geographical advantages. Xinjiang borders the 8 foreign countries of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Mongolia, India and Afghanistan, with a border line accounting for about a quarter of China’s total. From an economic perspective, Xinjiang and Central Asia are between developed Western Europe and rapidly developing Asia-Pacific region, at the bottom of the economic “Canyon”, but their rich natural resources and huge market with a population of more than 1 billion attract Western Europe and Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, Xinjiang has caused attention of people in Guangdong taking lead in modernization and other people at home and broad.
    Sharing a long border line and similar customs and languages with neighboring foreign countries, Xinjiang has unique advantages in cooperation with numerous foreign enterprises. Central Asian countries have a population of 60 million, serving as a market with great potentials. In recent years, with their economic recovery, the consumption potential of this market has been gradually highlighted.
    The commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Karachi believes Pakistani mango is very sound, which Xinjiang can import. Seafood in Karachi is quite cheap, which Xinjiang can process locally and transport back. Pakistan has export processing zones, with enterprises it hosts free from corporate tax for 10 years. Xinjiang competitive enterprises can expand business through the processing zones. According to the commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia is quite wealthy, characterized by pure consumption and minor repellency to inbound sounds. It is estimated that China and the Gulf Cooperation Council will sign a free trade agreement in the near future, which will bring convenience and unlimited business opportunities for Xinjiang enterprises to be settled in Saudi Arabia. Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan believes that Kazakhstan, Russia and other countries are actively applied to join the WTO. Once they succeed, they will have the obstacles hindering their economic development greatly reduced. Xinjiang enterprises should seize the opportunity to transfer the geographical advantage into the market advantage, and the resource advantage into the product advantage.
   State Development & Investment Corporation Strategy for advancing westward    
   Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People’s Government and State Development & Investment Corporation (Hereinafter referred to as SDIC) have established long-term strategic partnership based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit.
    From 2004 to 2010, SDIC will make an investment of over 20 billion Yuan in projects in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, which is its biggest cooperation framework agreement. Implementation of this cooperation framework agreement provides development space and new opportunities to IDSC, contributing to the transfer of Xinjiang resource advantages into economic advantages. This cooperation framework agreement is win-win for SDIC to implement the principles of Western Development and for Xinjiang to transfer superior resource and basic industries into great development.　  
    The cooperation framework agreement includes Lop Nur potash project with a short-term goal of 1.2 million tons and a long-term goal of 3 million tons, Ili Piliqing open-pit coal mine 300,000-ton/3-million-ton expansion project and 2*300,000 kW power plant project development, Hami Yemaquan coal field and Ili Nileke coking coal exploration and development projects, as well as non-ferrous and precious metals exploration and development.