URUMQI, 13th November, 2025 (WAM) -- The China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), established on 1st November, 2023, across Urumqi, Kashgar and Horgos, has rapidly emerged as one of the country’s fastest-growing economic areas, marking the first FTZ in northwestern China.
According to People's Daily Online, Xinjiang’s imports and exports have grown between 20 percent and 30 percent annually since the FTZ’s launch. The zone has attracted thousands of enterprises and introduced regulatory reforms to boost efficiency and competitiveness.
In Horgos, Consun Pharmaceutical implemented a pioneering “three-in-one” joint review mechanism for pharmaceutical approvals, integrating licence modification, good manufacturing practice inspection and registration filing into a single process. This innovation shortened approval time from two months to less than ten days, reducing manpower and material costs by 60 percent and saving more than one million yuan (about US$140,000).
In Kashgar, manufacturers such as Kashgar Kangyi Intelligent Technology Co. are capitalising on improved logistics. Products that previously travelled over 4,000 kilometres from Zhejiang to Central Asia now reach markets in just 600 kilometres, cutting transport time and costs dramatically.
In the first eight months of this year, 6,663 new enterprises were established in the FTZ, representing a ten percent year-on-year increase.
At Horgos Port, Urumqi Customs has introduced a “fast-track customs clearance model” for self-driving vehicle exports. Vehicles equipped with QR codes pass through automated checkpoints, increasing clearance efficiency by 80 percent. Between January and August, 258,000 vehicles were exported through the port, an 8.5 percent rise year on year.
With trade corridors expanding and logistics systems becoming more efficient, Xinjiang’s total import and export value reached 356.31 billion yuan in the first eight months of 2025, an increase of 25.4 percent compared with the previous year.
The Xinjiang FTZ continues to play a key role in connecting China with Central and South Asia, positioning the region as a vital hub for regional trade and industrial growth.