Xinjiang sees steady growth in 2021-25

The economy of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region expanded at a steady clip during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), with fixed-asset investment and foreign trade growth among the highest in the country, officials said.

According to a government work report delivered at the annual regional legislative session in Urumqi on Tuesday, the region's GDP has grown at an average annual rate of 5.9 percent over the past five years. Fixed-asset investment rose by 9.8 percent per year on average, while foreign trade volume expanded by an average of 28.5 percent annually.

Interpreting the report at a news conference on Wednesday, Wen Hua, secretary of the leading Party members group of the Xinjiang regional development and reform commission, highlighted that amid a nationwide investment slowdown last year, Xinjiang's fixed-asset investment grew by 7.2 percent — ranking second nationwide — providing strong support for high-quality development.

Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), Wen said Xinjiang's economy rests on a solid foundation, with multiple strengths, strong resilience and ample policy options to expand effective investment. Future efforts will focus on boosting domestic demand, optimizing institutional design and deepening cooperation between government, financial institutions and enterprises.

In recent years, Xinjiang has fostered clusters in its characteristic and competitive sectors, such as oil and gas production and processing, clean and efficient coal utilization, new-type power systems, green mining, and strategic emerging sectors like advanced manufacturing and new materials.

Xu Hongyun, director of the regional government's research office, said these sectors now contribute more than 90 percent of the industrial added value from enterprises above a designated size, helping the regional GDP reach 2.15 trillion yuan ($309.5 billion) in 2025, thereby exceeding the level of 2 trillion yuan for two consecutive years.

According to the report, the region's oil and gas equivalent output ranked first in the nation during each of the previous five years, totaling 320 million metric tons. Installed new-energy capacity reached 167 million kilowatts, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the region's total power capacity. Outbound electricity transmission grew at an average annual rate of 3.6 percent, with green electricity making up over 30 percent of the total.

According to Li Xuan, secretary of the leading Party members group of Xinjiang's department of commerce, the region's share of the national foreign trade volume has increased from 0.5 percent to 1.1 percent. In 2025, Xinjiang reported the highest growth rate in foreign trade volume in the country.

Li said Xinjiang is actively undertaking industrial transfer from eastern and central regions and attracting investment. A number of export-oriented projects have been launched or are about to settle in Xinjiang.