When the morning sun shines over the Tianshan Mountains, rows of steel camels roar westward along the ancient Silk Road, connecting the products of China and Central Asia within 48 hours. This is not only a geographical displacement, but also a profound change in the development logic.

Road network connectivity

The remote inland end of the past is now transforming into a golden passage between Asia and Europe. A breakthrough has been made in the construction of the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan railway. The third cross-border railway between China and Kazakhstan has broken ground. Two ports, Alataw Pass and Khorgos, carry more than half of the China Europe trains in the country. More than 100 international road transport routes have formed a three-dimensional transportation network covering Asia and Europe. This is the stacking of steel and cement, and it is also a firm step for China to open up to the west.

Smart Clearance

More exciting than the road network is the mode upgrade. Xinjiang is no longer satisfied with the channel economy of wine and meat passing through the intestines, but is transforming towards an industrial economy. Khorgos Smart Port makes customs clearance significantly compressed and inspection efficiency increased by 70%; Within the Alashankou Comprehensive Bonded Zone, Central Asian grains and ores are processed into high value-added products. The deep integration of channels and industries has transformed Xinjiang from a logistics transit area into a reservoir for factor aggregation.

Bidirectional openness

Openness is a two-way journey. When the trade volume between China and Central Asia exceeds 100 billion yuan, and as more international companies use Xinjiang to expand their presence in Asia, a more open and inclusive regional economic community is taking shape. The "bridgehead" in Xinjiang not only connects China with Central Asia, but also provides a Chinese solution for the interconnection and intercommunication of the Eurasian continent. Keywords: Xinjiang, the Belt and Road, cross-border channels

Standing at a new starting point, the road to opening up in Xinjiang is long and arduous. But there is no doubt that as the sound of the whistle echoes in the Tianshan Mountains, a more open and confident Xinjiang is showing the world China's firm determination to open up to the west with a high spirited posture.Editor/Gong Ziwei