URUMQI - Textile and garment exports to Central Asia and Russia via ports in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region have increased by more than 60 percent from the same period last year.

China has exported 16.57 billion yuan ($2.5 billion) worth of textiles and garments through ports in Xinjiang, according to the latest statistics released by Urumqi Customs.

The data show that 70 percent of exports went to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, with the former ranking first.

Following the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative and regional economic development, Xinjiang, which borders eight countries and boasts 29 national ports, has grown into a trading hub for garments, shoes, and daily necessities.

China has long been a top textile manufacturer for the world market. Xinjiang produces China's best cotton, and more of it than any other region. Xinjiang's cotton harvest reached 3.5 million tons, about 60 percent of China's total output, in 2015.

Leading textile and apparel producers have been transferring their business to Xinjiang, making the far northwest region a thriving textile and garment producer.

China's cabinet, the State Council, issued a guideline in June 2015 to bolster the textile and garment industry in Xinjiang in the hopes of increasing local employment and exports.

The country plans to build Xinjiang into a major textile base by 2020 to facilitate exports to its western neighbors, according to the State Council.