China's e-commerce giant, Alibaba Group, has shown its high regard for e-commerce development in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, as the group's vice president visited the region.

Vice-president Liang Chunxiao, visited Urumqi city's Toutunhe district and shared his experience of e-commerce business with local entrepreneurs at a seminar on Feb 2.

At the seminar, Liang Chunxiao answered questions from entrepreneurs about opening online businesses and introduced big data and innovation concepts to attendees.

More than one hundred enterprises participated in the seminar, including the Xinjiang branches of China Southern Airlines and China Telecom.

Among the participants, Guo Xian, a local supermarket retailer, consulted Liang Chunxiao about online services. Guo said his supermarkets had 1.8 million customers each month and that he wanted to start online business this year to enable locals to have the option to shop online via mobile and internet.

According to Ma Chunlei, head of Toutunhe district's development and reform commission, the district has 588 registered key enterprises, among which more than one hundred companies deal with e-commerce businesses and services.

"In 2014, the Cainiao Network Technology Co, a company invested by Alibaba Group, reached agreements with Toutunhe district to build a logistics center in the district," said Ma.

By Li Xiaoxu and edited by Jacob Hooson