The foreign trade data of Xinjiang in July 2026 drew a steep upward curve, with a monthly import and export of 68.68 billion yuan, a year-on-year growth rate of 70.4%, directly pushing the cumulative scale of the first seven months to 335.22 billion yuan. On the front line of the westward opening ports, trains of China Europe freight trains and cross-border trucks are transforming the resilience and quality of Xinjiang's foreign trade into sustained growth momentum.

Bi directional efficiency improvement between business entities and regional patterns

From January to July 2026, a total of 9 prefectures and cities in Xinjiang achieved positive growth in imports and exports. The year-on-year growth rates of Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture in Kashgar, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture reached 9.6%, 22.7%, and 16.9% respectively, becoming the core support for driving the growth of the entire region. During the same period, the number of enterprises with import and export records in the entire region reached 3886, an increase of 14.8% year-on-year. Among them, the number of private enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises increased by 15.2% and 29.8% year-on-year, respectively. The import and export volume of private enterprises increased by 5.6%, accounting for 95.2% of the total import and export value of the region. The basic structure of foreign trade is stable and solid, and the growth potential of foreign-funded enterprises is strong. The import and export volume increased by 349.3% year-on-year. The growth rate of imports was 20.7 percentage points higher than that of exports, and the proportion of imports increased to 11.8%. The import volume of bulk commodities, agricultural products, mechanical and electrical products increased by 33%, 60.2%, and 225.9% year-on-year, effectively ensuring regional industrial development and market supply.

Synchronized upgrade of channel platform and trade structure

From January to July 2026, the number of China Europe freight trains under the supervision of Alashankou Customs reached 4334, a year-on-year increase of 22.2%, and the operating volume remained the highest among railway ports in China. The total import and export value of bonded business in Khorgos Comprehensive Bonded Zone exceeded 4.86 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 80.9%. After the implementation of the port direct mode, the customs clearance time of export bonded trucks was reduced from 2 to 3 days to 0.5 to 1.5 days, and the customs clearance efficiency was improved by about 66%. Thousands of yuan of operating costs could be saved for a single cargo.

The trade mode continues to be optimized, with the import and export volume of general trade increasing by 17.4% year-on-year, accounting for 59.3% of the total value of the region. The export value of contracted engineering goods to foreign countries increased by 95.8% year-on-year. Driven by the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan railway project, Xinjiang's exports to Uzbekistan in July increased by 150.3% year-on-year. The market layout has become more diversified. The proportion of imports and exports to countries jointly building the the Belt and Road has reached 87.2%. The imports and exports to ASEAN and Africa have respectively increased by 44.3% and 112.3% year on year. The growth rate of auto parts, auto electrical equipment and other categories in the export of mechanical and electrical products has exceeded 20%. The export structure has continued to transform to high-end. Keywords: Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone, Trade Import and Export

Relying on the construction opportunity of the Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone in China, coupled with the continuous promotion of the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway project, Xinjiang's foreign trade is steadily moving from smooth channels to upgraded formats. In the overall layout of opening up to the west, it continues to release its unique location hub value.Editor/Cheng Liting