Xinjiang boosts trade ties with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

With the Belt and Road Initiative forging ahead steadily, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has enhanced trade cooperation with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The thriving business can be witnessed at Turgart port and Irkeshtam port, two land ports in Xinjiang that border Kyrgyzstan, and Karasu port, a land port for goods to Tajikistan.

Tan Wenfeng, an employee of an international transportation agent company in Kashgar, Xinjiang, was managing a batch of engineering machines headed to Tajikistan on Wednesday, according to Xinhua News Agency.

"It's very convenient to clear customs as electronic ways are now applied at the Karasu port. We only spend half a day at most clearing customs for one machine," said Tan.

Tan said the company transported around 100 engineering machines to Tajikistan through Karasu port last year.

The trade is double-way. By May, a total of 48,541 donkeys were imported to China through the Irkeshtam port since August 2016 when the first batch of donkeys were imported through the port, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Statistics from Urumqi Customs show that in the first four months, Xinjiang's foreign trade volume with Tajikistan maintained the same level compared with the same period of last year. But the import volume increased by 6.6 percent.

The region's export to Kyrgyzstan in the fields of electronic mechanical devices, agricultural products, fruits and nuts registered growth.