By CGTN's Zheng Yibing
The city of Khorgos in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is experiencing a boom in business and trade with a number of central Asian economies.
Each morning, thousands of people flock into its free trade zone for business. Many are young people seeking opportunities. Chen Guangsong and Huang Xiaolei, a couple, are among them.
Chen says when he first came to Khorgos, the area was just desert. All the tall buildings were built over the past few years, and more and more department stores are opening.
According to Huang, Chen’s wife, the number of merchants is increasing, selling duty-free products.
People from China and central Asian countries do business each day in a special trade zone on the China-Kazakhstan border. /CGTN Photo
For Ramis, from Georgia, selling featured wines from his own country is good business. He says he’s found in recent years that Chinese have a growing appetite for wines. He sells wines to customers from around the country, and business, he says, is getting easier.
These people are looking for a better life and trying their luck in the five-square-kilometer free trade zone established five years ago.
Business exchanges are not just limited to here.
Organic wheat from Kazakhstan is exported to China, while high-quality fruits and vegetables are imported. And transportation makes it easy.
Yu Chengzhong, chairman of a local agricultural products and logistics company, says that it used to take two to three days for goods to pass customs, but now it only takes one day. And green channels have opened with easier checking procedures.
Manufacturing companies are also opening in Khorgos, in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. /CGTN Photo
Khorgos sits in the middle of the Eurasian continent. Some manufacturing companies are considering building their plants in the city for faster shipment and lower production costs.
According to Khorgos Customs, the import and export volume in the dry port in 2016 totaled 26 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 0.8 percent, and the foreign trade volume totaled 800 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 10 percent.
Parts of the city look like a construction site, but the city is gearing up.
A network of railways, roads and other infrastructure linking China and Europe is creating more opportunities…
