The State Council has approved the construction of a new city on the border between China and Kazakhstan in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to serve as an international trade and logistics hub, a local official said on Friday.

Work on the new city of Horgos has already begun. When completed, it will cover 1,970 square kilometers, including the 73 sq km existing Horgos Special Economic Zone, said Yang Jun, deputy director of the zone.

Approval was granted on June 29, though Yang said the proposal was first filed in 2010. He said he believes the idea to create the Silk Road Economic Belt added fresh urgency to the plan.