Profiles of China Provinces, Cities and Industrial Parks

Major Economic Indicators

Notes:  ¹ In real terms   ² For all state-owned enterprises and other forms with annual sales over RMB 5 million
           ³ Jan-Jun of 2011  ⁴ Jan-Jul of 2011
Sources: Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2011, Xinjiang Statistical Bureau, China’s Customs Statistics, 12.2010, 8.2011

General Background

Xinjiang is the largest autonomous region of China. It has a total area of 1,664,900 square kilometers. Total population stood at 21.8 million in 2010. It is located in the utmost northwestern part of China, closely connected in trade with Central Asia countries.

Xinjiang is China’s largest growing base of cotton, lavander and hop. Lavender planting areas and production in Ili district both account for 90% of the nation’s total. Besides, with the second largest pastureland, Xinjiang is one of the major sheep farming areas and fine-wool production base in China.

Xinjiang is rich in energy resources. It has the largest reserves of oil, natural gas and coal in the country. Its coal reserves account for 40% of the country’s total. The oil and gas reserves found in Tarim, Junggar and Turpan-Hami basins in the region account for one-fourth and one-third of the country’s total.

Xinjiang’s reserves of mineral resources are great as well. There are more than 130 kinds of mineral deposits founded. The region’s reserves of beryllium and mica are the highest in China. Some of the region’s granite products such as “Xinjiang Red”, “Tianshan White” and “Snowflower Black” are famous brands in the country. The country’s largest copper mine is also located in Xinjiang.

Industries

Xinjiang is a major agricultural base and primary industry still accounted for 19.8% of GDP in 2010. Sugar beet and fruits, of which, Yili apple（伊犁蘋果）, Korla pear（克拉梨）, seedless white grape and Hami melon are famous at home and abroad.

Composition of GDP (%)

Source: Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2011

Karamay, Urumqi, Bayangol are the major industrial centers in Xinjiang, accounting for 70.2% of the gross industrial output in 2010. Oil and petrochemicals, food and beverage, textiles, metallurgy, building materials, and electric power are the pillar industries of Xinjiang.

Output Share of Leading Industry Groups (2010)

Notes: For all state-owned enterprises and other forms with annual sales over RMB 5 million
Source: Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2011

Heavy industries form the fundamental part of Xinjiang’s industrial development. In 2010, gross industrial output value of heavy industry accounted for 86.3% of the autonomous region’s total industrial output.

Tourism

Xinjiang has abundant tourist resources, owning 56 categories of tourist resources, out of 68 categories of the whole nation. Well-known scenic and historical interests include Heavenly Lake（天池）, Bosteng Lake（博斯騰湖）, ruins of Loulan（樓蘭遺址）and Gaochang Ancient City（高昌古城）.

Source: Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2011

Foreign Trade

In 2010, major exports included shoes, tomato jam, cotton yarn and casings. Major exports markets included Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Mongolia.

Major imports included rolled steel, crude oil, oil products, fertilizers and medical equipment etc. Major imports sources were Kazakhstan, Russia and US.

Border trade reached US$ 10 billion in 2010, accounting for 58.6% of the region’s total trade.

In 2010, imports were mainly conducted by state-owned units, which accounted for 72% of the total, but private enterprises dominated exports with a share of 83.7%.

Foreign investment

FDI in Xinjiang remains relatively low, owing to its sparse population and underdeveloped transport network. In 2010, Xinjiang’s major investments came from Hong Kong (53.4% of the total utilized FDI), Taiwan (4.3%) and Singapore (2.5%). Other major sources include the Commonwealth of Independent States. The leading sectors which utilised the most foreign capital in 2010 were manufacturing (33% of total FDI) and mining & quarrying (27% of total).

Consumer Market

In 2010, retail sales of consumer goods grew by 12.5% to RMB132.4 billion and annual per capita disposal income of urban households reached RMB13,644 (+11.3%). Urumqi, the largest consumer center in the region, recorded RMB 51.4 billion retail sales of consumer goods in 2010, accounting for 38.8% of the region’s total retail sales value.

Composition of Per Capita Expenditure of Urban Household (%)

Source: Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2011

Major department stores and shopping centres in Xinjiang include Urumqi Tianshan Department Store（烏魯木齊天山百貨）, Urumqi Youhao Department Store（烏魯木齊友好百貨）, Xinjiang Department Store（新疆百貨）, Urumqi Pacific Department Store（烏魯木齊太平洋百貨）and Tulufan Department Store（吐魯番百貨）etc. Besides these indigenous retailers, foreign retailer Carrefour has also established in Xinjiang.

Economic Indicators of Major Cities (2011)

Notes:  * For all state-owned enterprises and other forms with annual sales over RMB 5 million
Source: Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook 2011