While Xinjiang in China is targeted by Western sanctions, linked to accusations of human rights violations against the Uyghurs, Beijing is investing massively in this province. A 22-kilometer tunnel should in particular make it possible to further boost the economy of Xinjiang.
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In China, the investment program for the autonomous province of Xinjiang, where Beijing is accused of human rights violations against the Uighur minority, is colossal. The Chinese government is increasing its projects, the latest being a huge highway tunnel which will soon be operational. And this actually allows Beijing to circumvent sanctions imposed by several Western countries.
This road tunnel will be just over 22 kilometers long, it is the longest motorway tunnel in the world. This is a truly impressive structure as it crosses the Tianshan Mountains, one of the longest mountain ranges on the planet, with an average altitude of over 5,000 meters. Below these mountains, the tunnel began to be drilled. Work is already well advanced with commissioning expected in less than two years. This will be a major breakthrough for Xinjiang since this tunnel will connect the two most populous cities in the region in three hours compared to the current seven hours.
This tunnel joins an equally impressive road network that was built in the middle of the desert with hundreds of kilometers of roads in the sand. Hundreds of millions of euros have been spent. China sets no limits to ensure the development of Xinjiang.
Trade with its Central Asian neighbors is on the rise
All these works therefore allow China to operate the economy of Xinjiang despite international sanctions. Thanks to these massive investments, Xinjiang is even developing very quickly. These new access routes allow the province to increase its trade with neighboring countries in Central Asia, such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It is a substitute market for local companies which are the subject of Western sanctions, accused of having participated in human rights violations against the Uyghur minority.
Beijing has placed Xinjiang at the heart of its great “new silk roads” project and it is working. The province has again defied international restrictions this year. Xinjiang’s foreign trade reached a record level, with $34 billion in the first three quarters of the year, an increase of 47% year-on-year.
