Rapid economic development

Though living just 600 km away, it is the first time Abdukakhorov Usmon, from Dushanbe in Tajikistan, is visiting the ancient city of Kashgar.

While immersing himself in the dazzling array of handicrafts, exquisite bronzeware, wood products and potteries on display along the streets, Abdukakhorov Usmon also noted the striking resemblance between Kashgar and his home country.

"The drum beats are similar, and so are the smells of patchouli black tea and mint green tea in the air," noted Abdukakhorov Usmon, a journalist from Avesta News Agency of Tajikistan.

"Xinjiang is developing better than I imagined," Abdukakhorov Usmon said. "I hope that more products from Tajikistan can be exported to Xinjiang and other regions in China in the future."

Cross-border trade has entered a fast track of growth, underpinned by improvements in infrastructure and efforts to streamline and simplify trade procedures under the BRI.

"Tajikistan and China's Xinjiang are very close, and the potential for cooperation is huge. In recent years, with the deepening of the BRI, the lives of people in Tajikistan have improved significantly. I hope that China and Tajikistan can continue to cooperate within the framework of the BRI, especially in-depth cooperation in the field of technology," he said.

Benefiting from the BRI, the free trade zone in Kashgar has seen its trade volume double from 2020 to 2022.

In the first seven months of this year, total import and export value in the zone reached 21.82 billion yuan, an increase of 178 percent year on year, according to Ge Hongliang, deputy director of the Kashgar Free Trade Zone Management Committee.