Chinanews, Urumqi, Apr.8 – As China has more and more trade activities with countries in Central Asia, it plans to build 12 international highways linked to the Central Asian region. All these highways will be built in Xinjiang.

 

These highways will link China with its neighboring countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. The longest one will start from Urumqi and travel outside China through Ilkshtan port. It will pass Tashkent, Mashhad, Teheran, and Istanbul to finally link with Europe. The road will stretch 1,680 kilometers within Xinjiang and is expected to be completed by 2010, an official from Xinjiang Foreign Affairs Transportation Administration Office said.

 

Xinjiang shares borders with eight countries in Central and Western Asia. Xinjiang is an autonomous region that has the longest borderlines in China of any province, municipality, or provincial level autonomous region. It has 17 state-level ports, which makes it enjoy great advantages in interntational transportation. The booming trade in Xinjiang promotes the business of some local companies that involve in international road construction.

 

Statistics show that there are more than 1,500 vehicles in Xinjiang that are exclusively used for international transportation business.

 

So far, Xinjiang has opened a total of 101 roads to other countries that handle either passenger or freight transport. Of all the provinces, municipalies, and provincial-level autonomous regions in China, Xinjiang is one that has the most number of first-class open ports and the longest length of international transportation routes to other countries.