The State Council, China's cabinet, on Tuesday issued an overall plan for building a pilot free trade zone (FTZ) in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The plan aims to make the Xinjiang region a model in the high-quality development of China's central and western regions, better serve the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) core area, facilitate its role as a bridgehead for westward opening-up, and make a positive contribution to the joint building of a China-Central Asia community of a shared future.
According to the plan, the FTZ will have a total area of 179.66 square kilometers, covering three areas in the regional capital of Urumqi, Kashi prefecture and Horgos - all of which are important nodes for China-Europe freight trains, a flagship BRI project that is deemed as an Asia-Europe "golden passage".
