In August, nearly 700,000 tourists and business people traveled to the Sino-Kazakhstan Horgos International Border Cooperation Center (the Cooperation Center), an increase of 21 percent over the same period of last year, hitting a single month record high. Around 3.7 million accessed the center in the first eight months of this year, an increase of 9 percent over the same period of last year.

Officials of Horgos Customs points out, more diversified goods from the settled merchants, with the seasonal promotions, adequately meet the demands of consumers from different countries. At the same time, 'Horgos cross-border travel' and 'tax-free shopping tour' and other themed travels attracted a large number of tourists to Xinjiang for shopping and sightseeing.

Also, the customs shunt transport network monitoring platform, the employment of intelligent customer clearance facilities, and other new technological initiatives on inspection significantly improved the efficiency of customs clearance.

As the first cross-border free trade zone between China and Kazakhstan, since its operation in 2012, the Cooperation Center has more than 4,000 business shops, with the average daily procurement of more than 5 million yuan from China and Central Asia. With Xinjiang as a core zone on the Silk Road Economic Belt, Horgos, an outstanding border city will continue to attract more tourists and businesses with its unique geographical advantages and beneficial tax policies.  

The Cooperation Center has an area of 5.28 square kilometers, of which 3.43 square kilometers of the Chinese area and 1.85 square kilometers of the Kazakh area. The main functions are trade negotiation, merchandise display and sale, warehousing and transportation, hotel and hotel service facilities, financial services.