Located in northern China, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is blessed with many natural resources and opportunities for opening up. And for the past 70 years, it has undergone great social and economic changes. CGTN's Mark Fontes tells us more.

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is now more globally connected. It has become a logistics hub for sending Chinese goods to Europe.

BU XIAOLIN, DEPUTY SECRETARY INNER MONGOLIA AUTONOMOUS REGIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE CPC "Inner Mongolia has always bridged the gap between the East and West when it comes to trade and cultural exchanges. We have established multi-disciplinary and multi-level exchange cooperation mechanisms with Russia and Mongolia, and we have made joint efforts in building infrastructure interconnection, economic and trade cooperation, and humanities exchanges."

The region is endowed with rich resources, playing a vital role in opening up China's north and protecting the ecological environment.

LI JIHENG, SECRETARY INNER MONGOLIA AUTONOMOUS REGIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE CPC "Green growth is at the heart of development. In order to preserve the region's ecological system, we have carried out a number of decisive and controlled projects. The green coverage has increased a great deal, reaching over 880-thousand square kilometers of the total grassland area. We also hope to improve public awareness of protecting the environment."

The government says Inner Mongolia has made significant progress in boosting comprehensive strength and economic growth over the past few decades. And China will continuously make efforts toward more sustainable development in the future. CGTN, Mark Fontes, CGTN.