Mohammad Evans

I am an investment analyst of the Indonesian Entrepreneurs Association. Since our association has close investment and trade relations with Chinese companies, I am very interested in China’s economic construction, especially the “Belt & Road” initiative proposed by the Chinese government in recent years. The  construction of “Belt & Road” initiative has driven the rapid economy development of Xinjiang, which made me very curious.

Therefore, by chance, with the help of my Chinese friends, I went to Xinjiang, China to inspect and supervise the situation of trade and investment cooperation, and learned in detail about the current living conditions of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

Since the Chinese government proposed the “Belt & Road” initiative in 2013, Xinjiang in China has benefited a lot and quickly stepped onto the “fast track” for China’s development. Moreover, the lives of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have undergone tremendous changes and they lived a happy life. Xinjiang is located in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent.

It is inlined with five provinces in northwest China and five countries in Central Asia. It is surrounded by Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Its geographical advantages and abundant natural resources have laid a solid foundation for its development, making it the center of Asia’s geographical location, and it is also the hub of the “Onshore Silk Road”in the “Belt & Road” initiative construction proposed by China. Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, is the center of Asia, while Xinjiang is the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt under the “Belt & Road” initiative.

It is also the Silk Road’s trade, logistics, and cultural science and education center, as well as a window that would link together east and west, north and south along the Silk Road

Since the implementation of the “Belt & Road” initiative, Xinjiang’s key civil aviation, railway, and highway transportation projects have continuously stepped up, and Xinjiang’s opening up to the outside world has continued to accelerate. I would like to share with you the situation of Xinjiang’s economic development and construction, so that everyone can experience the interconnection of Xinjiang’s infrastructure as the construction achievement of the core area along the route of “Belt & Road” initiative.

Xinjiang adheres to multiple approaches to promote infrastructure interconnection. In terms of highways construction,  Xinjiang has opened 111 international road transport routes with five neighboring countries, and China’s highways to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have become normalized. In terms of railway passages, Xinjiang has added 1,320 kilometers of railway operating mileage since 2014, with a total mileage of 6,231 kilometers.

In terms of aviation, Xinjiang has newly built and expanded 9 airports, and the total number of civil aviation airports has reached 21. By 2022, the total number of airports will reach 30. In terms of trade flow, since 2014, Xinjiang has run a total of 2451 westbound trains, with an average annual growth rate of 100%. Especially in 2018, it broke through the 1000 train mark and reached 1002 trains, reaching 26 cities in 19 countries in Central Asia and Europe. The completion and implementation of these key infrastructure projects have greatly helped Xinjiang to quickly set foot on the “fast track” for development.

In addition, the construction of China’s “Belt & Road” initiative has benefited people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang. They have taken their own advantages and various preferential policies implemented by the government to actively develop distinctive economies, continuously increase income and improve living conditions.

I paid a visit to a Uyghur Muslim businessman in Tarbagatay Prefecture, Xinjiang, adjacent to Kazakhstan. He often travels back and forth between the two countries in trade of agricultural products. He said that trade in agricultural products has been an important part of the Silk Road trade since ancient times.

And nowadays,carrying out cooperation in agriculture is still the common aspirations of relevant countries along the route of the “Belt & Road” initiative. He said, “The agricultural products I planted including oranges, apples, fresh pears, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables are mainly exported to other countries. For agricultural products, time ensures quality.” He has lifted himself out of poverty and he is also a beneficiary of construction of “Belt and Road”initiative proposed by China.

I hope that more Muslims in Xinjiang will benefit from the initiative and be able to achieve poverty alleviation and live a happy life.

In short, I felt the greatness of the “Belt & Road” initiative proposed by the Chinese government from this trip to Xinjiang.  The initiative not only enabled  people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang to live a well-off life, but also promoted the  trade and economic development of the countries along the route of “Belt & Road” initiative. It has also created jobs for people of the countries along the route, thus enabling them to continuously improve life conditions.

Mohammad Evans

Indonesian Entrepreneurs Association