TIANSHANNET
Photo taken on September 25, 2021 shows the Press Conference on People-Benefiting Transportation by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zhou Peng
On September 25th, 2021, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region held a special press conference on transportation benefiting the people. One official and six representatives from the general public were invited on the scene. They described the development of transportation in Xinjiang and the convenience it brought to their lives by introducing relevant information and sharing their own experiences, and strongly refuted the slanderous remarks of anti-China forces in the United States and the West against Xinjiang.
Photo taken on September 25, 2021 shows Hairatti, the host of the Press Conference on People-Benefiting Transportation by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zhou Peng
Host: Hello, dear fellow media and journalists. Welcome to the press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. I'm Hairatti, the host of this press conference.
Transportation is the artery of economic development and the "big channel" to improve people's livelihood and improve people's happiness index. Since the founding of new China, Xinjiang's transportation construction has made a leap forward development. The high-speed rail and expressway were emerging from scratch. The roads and aviation are being continuously improved. The rural roads are getting better and better, and the communications between different places in Xinjiang have changed from slow to fast. After more than 70 years of development, Xinjiang has leapt from the northwest border to the transportation hub of the "Silk Road Economic Belt". Relying on the increasingly perfect three-dimensional transportation network, it is constantly injecting power into the construction of the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the state has attached great importance to and strongly supported the development of transportation in Xinjiang, and has given policy preference in capital, technology and other aspects. Especially since the Ninth Party Congress of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Xinjiang has accelerated the development of transportation and improved the construction of three-dimensional transportation system. By the end of 2020, the total mileage of highway network in Xinjiang has reached 209,200 km (including Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps), and the total mileage of expressway (Class I) has reached 7,640 km. All prefectures and cities have entered the era of expressway; All townships and towns as well as officially-established villages in Xinjiang are connected with hardened roads, and they are all connected through buses.
The construction of the railways in Xinjiang has entered a fast lane, the Afu-Junggar Railway has been successfully opened for operation, and it has formed the Northern Xinjiang ring line along the Junggar basin. The operation of the Gelmu-Korla Railway has opened up the third major channel from Xinjiang to other provinces; The construction of the Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway has been pushed forward in an orderly manner, and the Southern Xinjiang ring line along the Tarim Basin has nearly been built. The Tumushuke Railway was put into operation. The capacity expansion and transformation of the Urumqi Railway, together with the construction of the General’s Temple-Naomao Lake Railway and the Aksu-Alar Railway, has been accelerated. The construction of the Yining-Alar Railway was implemented in an orderly manner, and the road network structure has begun to take shape. Besides, the supporting capacity of transportation service was significantly improved as well. The railway runs through most areas in the North and South of Tianshan Mountain, reaches all prefectures and prefecture level cities in Xinjiang, and covers most administrative areas above the county level in Xinjiang.
In recent years, Xinjiang has maintained the provincial record of the largest number of civil transport airports. By the end of 2020, there were 22 civil transport airports under its jurisdiction. Xinjiang Airport Group has opened 264 in-flight routes, 43 feeder airport interworking routes, 56 feeder airport direct routes outside Xinjiang, 12 feeder airports with direct routes outside Xinjiang and 20 cities outside Xinjiang. The aviation network layout of "Forming a Fan from East to West, and Waving a Net within Xinjiang" has initially taken shape.
Taking the opportunity of the construction of the transportation hub center in the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, taking "One Port", "Two Regions", "Five Centers" and "The Economic Belt by the Port" as the starting points, based on the comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network in Xinjiang, Xinjiang gradually changes its position from the "terminal" in the national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network layout to the "Asia Europe transportation hub center", and plans to build a three-dimensional interconnected, convenient, efficient, safe and green comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network with its general framework as "Channel + Hub + Network". It will focus on building the main backbone of the "Four Horizontal, Four Vertical, Four Rings and Fifteen Links" comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network, and build the general pattern of "One Core, Three Aspects and Multiple centers" with clear levels and functions, and accelerate the successful formation of a complete international and a domestic transportation network with land and air coordination. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, 4,150 China-Europe trains were operated in Xinjiang, including 1,105 in 2020.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Xinjiang transportation will strive to build an international hub of the Silk Road Economic Belt facing the world, strive to build a high-level leading area for transportation opening to the outside world around the construction of a highland open to the inland and along the border, build a demonstration area around building a new development pattern and a large comprehensive transportation channel, focus on the construction of transportation to the satisfaction of the people, and build a transportation model area to the satisfaction of the people of all ethnic groups. By 2025, Xinjiang's transportation will basically achieve the goal of "Getting In and Out of Xinjiang Quickly, Connecting Entry and Exit, Connecting the North and the South of Xinjiang Smoothly, and Ringing the Entire Xinjiang", which will further satisfy the construction of the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, as well as some strategies like rural revitalization and rejuvenating Xinjiang through tourism and the new-type urbanization construction, better serve the new development pattern of "Double-Cycle", and it will provide more powerful support to the construction of a socialist Xinjiang with unity and harmony, prosperity and richness, civilization and progress, living and working in peace and contentment as well as good ecology as well.
Now, please watch a video to understand the development of transportation in Xinjiang.
Today, we have invited Guo Sheng, the deputy director of the Department of Transportation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Messiali Memettiyiming, a cadre of the Department of Transportation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Ayigamari Ruzi, a farmer in Tashi Erik Town of Xinhe County in Aksu Prefecture, Amer Yiming, a resident of Maigaiti County of Kashgar Prefecture, and Silimuhan Mettiruzi, a staff member of Wanfang Airport in Yutian County of Hotan Prefecture, Mieralimu Mirkadir, the Deputy Director of Air Traffic Control Business Department of Xinjiang Airport Group, and Adi Turdi, a driver of EMU in the EMU Workshop of Urumqi Locomotive Depot of China Railway Urumqi Bureau Group Co., Ltd. Welcome them to talk about the development of transportation in Xinjiang and the changes it brought to their lives.
Host: After decades of efforts in Xinjiang's transportation industry, earth-shaking changes have taken place in Xinjiang's transportation industry. The trunk roads in Xinjiang are gradually becoming a ring and network. The traffic capacity in and out of Xinjiang is increasing. The traffic infrastructure in Xinjiang is densely integrated, and the supporting capacity of transportation is also greatly improved. Besides, the transportation industry has laid a good foundation for Xinjiang's economic development and the improvement of people's livelihood. Messiali Memettiyiming is a cadre of the Department of Transportation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. He has been engaged in transportation planning for many years and participated in the planning and construction of many important roads. Next, let's invite Messiali Memettiyiming, a cadre of the Department of Transportation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to tell his story about the development of road transportation in Xinjiang.
Photo taken on September 25, 2021 shows Messiali Memettiyiming, a cadre of the Department of Transportation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region speaks at the Press Conference on People-Benefiting Transportation by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zhou Peng
Messiali Memettiyiming: Hello everyone! My name is Messiali Memettiyiming, and I’m 42 years old now. I work at the Department of Transportation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
I am a native of Xinjiang. My father was also a man who had dedicated himself to transportation. When I was a child, I always felt that his work was very hard and busy. When I grew up, I knew how important it was to build roads and bridges, and I was deeply proud and glorious of my father's career. In July 2002, after graduating from Dalian University of Technology, I returned to my hometown, inherited my father's career and became a glorious man of his kind.
Since I started working in 2002, I have been engaged in traffic construction planning. In the past 20 years, I have participated in the formulation and implementation of the "10th Five-Year Plan" to the "14th Five-Year Plan" of transportation in Xinjiang, and witnessed the rapid development of highway transportation in Xinjiang. Now, we are getting closer and closer to the goal of "Ringing Up Xinjiang, Quickening the Speed of Going In and Out of Xinjiang", and I feel even more glorious and proud because of this.
When we used to do research and work, we would drive on a lot of roads filled with dirt. In some places there were even no roads at all, so we had to get off and walk through a very far distance. At that time, there was no expressway in Hotan. But, with the support of various national policies and funds, through investigation, planning and design, after several years of construction, G3012 Moyu-Hotan expressway was finally built and it was opened to traffic in 2018. After the expressway was opened, we passed by Hotan on a business trip and went to the walnut wholesale market to buy walnuts. We found that it had completely changed. The asphalt roads had been connected to the national ones and led to the expressway. The business there had thus faced a broader market and the scale had become larger and larger. When we went there, it was already the largest walnut wholesale market in Xinjiang. The expressway transports Xinjiang specialties to all parts of the country conveniently, efficiently and quickly. With the development of the market, the living standards of the people of all ethnic groups have been improved a lot.
Previously, I did research in Hejing county. There was a bridge in Huqing Yamen Village. Only one car can pass on the bridge at a time, and it was the only way out of the village. After research and planning, we turned it into a flat and wide asphalt road. Some people bought cars, motorcycles and tractors which changed the ways of their travel and lifestyle, and the environment in the village has also become beautiful. Slowly, those people in the cities began to travel to Huqing Yamen Village for some leisure fun. In 2018, Hejing County was also rated as the national demonstration county of "Four Good Rural Roads".
When planning for the construction of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, we thought it would be a tough job, because the road would cross the Tianshan Mountains which have extremely poor geological conditions and natural environment. In addition, the highest altitude of the mountains is more than 4,200m with an extreme temperature of - 42 ℃. There’s also the risk of geological disasters such as rock burst. However, in order to shorten the distance, realize the value of transportation, and completely break through the North-South transportation barrier of Tianshan Mountain, we must overcome those difficulties. So, my colleagues of all ethnic groups working on the project put all our determination and aspiration towards one direction to make Tianshan Shengli Tunnel able to get through as soon as possible.
Recently, I have seen those anti-China forces outside China spread a large number of distorted remarks and even vicious attacks on issues related to Xinjiang. As a cadre of ethnic minorities growing up in Xinjiang, I am well aware that they are confusing truth and falsehood and right and wrong. Whether Xinjiang is good or not is best known only to the people who have lived in Xinjiang for generations. I want to say out loud to those bad people who maliciously slander and smear Xinjiang: Please shut up. Xinjiang is the most beautiful, harmonious and happy place, and our life will only be better!
Host: Thank Messiali Memettiyiming for his telling. Xinjiang has always attached great importance to the traffic development in rural areas, fully mobilized the enthusiasm of local rural road construction, guided all localities to raise funds to build rural roads, promoted more rural roads to enter villages and households, and made the achievements of traffic construction benefits more people. Xinhe County in Aksu Prefecture organically combines rural highway construction with the implementation of rural revitalization strategy and agricultural and rural modernization, and uses rural highway construction to drive industrial development and increase people's income. Ayigamari Ruzi is a farmer. The construction of rural roads has brought more buyers to her hometown, so that her agricultural products can be sold at a higher price, which has increased her income and facilitated her life. Next, let's invite Ayigamari Ruzi, a farmer in Tashi Erik Town of Xinhe County in Aksu Prefecture, to tell her story about herself and the rural roads.
Photo taken on September 25, 2021 shows Ayigamari Ruzi, a farmer in Tashi Erik Town of Xinhe County in Aksu Prefecture speaks at the Press Conference on People-Benefiting Transportation by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zhou Peng
Ayigamari Ruzi: Hello everyone! My name is Ayigamari Ruzi. I am 28 years old, and I’m also a farmer from Tugmanbesi Village of Tashi Erik Town in Xinhe County of Aksu Prefecture.
With the government attaching great importance to rural roads, in recent years, all the villages in our county have been paved with asphalt roads, and the flat hardened road has also been constructed on our doorstep. Besides, there are even the shuttles in front of our house. So, it’s just more and more convenient for us to travel.
Growing up in Xinjiang, I have witnessed the development and changes of the rural roads in Xinhe County with my own eyes, and I am also a beneficiary.
I still remember that when I was a child, my family planted 24 acres of wheat and walnuts. When it was harvest time, because of the heavy rain, the roads leading out of the village and those leading into the farmlands were so muddy that the tractors pulling walnuts could not even get in. So, my parents used a donkey cart to pull the walnuts home cart after cart. When they encountered potholes on the road, they needed someone to push the donkey cart, which was very toilsome. Even if they successfully dealt with the problem of harvesting walnuts, still there came another problem as to how they could sell them out. Buyers seldom came because it was hard to walk on roads filled with dirt, and even those who came would only offer a low price: One kilogram of walnuts could be sold for only 2 yuan. After a busy year, the income of walnut farmlands in my family was only about 6,000 yuan, which was barely enough to maintain the living of my family. At that time, I thought, if the village had been paved with cement road, would my parents have been much more relaxed? Would there be a lot of people coming to my hometown to buy the agricultural products and offering a higher price?
Now my dream has come true. My hometown has been paved with asphalt roads, and the shuttles have reached our doorstep. And the truck can be driven directly to the farmlands instead of being pulled by small carts and then by big carts. More and more people from all over the country have come to buy cotton, walnuts and peaches in my hometown, and the harvested agricultural products can be sold directly on the doorstep. Many southern buyers have come to the farmers’ homes to order walnuts in advance before the walnuts are ripe, and the price has increased several times than before. In the past, one kilogram of walnuts was sold for only 2 yuan, but now one kilogram of walnuts can be sold at the price of 12 to 15 yuan. And we can earn 40,000 to 50,000 yuan a year just by planting walnuts. We no longer have to worry about low prices or unsalable products.
Our country has helped us build a breeding community in order to help us develop cattle and pigeon industry. And the community has also been paved with asphalt roads, which makes it convenient to transport feed and livestock. My family has also raised 3 cattle, which can increase the income of more than 20,000 yuan a year. Now my family life is getting better day by day, and we’re having a brighter and brighter prospect.
Now, in addition to farming and raising cattle, my husband and I often take a broom to clean the garbage on the roadside and check whether the roadbed is damaged. My husband’s father once said, “In the past, the village was covered with dirt roads, which were very difficult to walk on. The dust flew in the air, and the clothes that just had been hanged in the yard would soon be covered with dust. Now the village is paved with asphalt roads, and our living environment is better.” So in order to give the roads in the village a better protection, the villagers spontaneously set up the road protection volunteer team. I am one of them. As long as we have time, we will spontaneously walk around on the roads, and clean up the garbage on both sides of the road. Also, we check if there are potholes on the roads and if there is any damage to the roads.
When it’s season to plant trees, we plant trees on both sides of the road. After several years of hard work, now the trees along the roads have grown up, which is called “Green trees make shade” by an idiom. Each of us here has personally experienced the benefits of having roads on the doorstep, and the roads are better because of thousands of road protectors like me. Now we are having more and more money, and the life is more and more prosperous, so we have more and more smiles on our faces.
The finish of constructing roads promotes the development of tourist industry in our village. And our village set up the “platinum desert” tourism resort that is very famous in our local, and there are more tourists coming here. As the roads are convenient to walk on, there are more ways for young people in the village to find jobs and start businesses: some people go to the county for work, and some people start up business to open supermarkets, clothing stores, beauty salons and so on. The asphalt roads in all directions have become the “Rich Road” and “Happy Road” for us to get rich and well-off.
Next, here is a video and let’s take a look.
Over the years, I have seen my hometown change from a place of inconvenient transportation and remote backwardness to a place of paving roads and building bridges at present. This is not only the change of my hometown, but also the epitome of the country’s concern for ethnic minority masses. When I saw on the Internet that anti-China forces in the US and the West slandered our Xinjiang as “ethnic genocide”, I was very angry. The government has constructed such good roads and always care about our food, clothing, shelter and transportation in order that we can live a happy and sweet life, so how can it be called “ethnic genocide”? It’s nonsense.
Host: Thank you, Ayigamari Ruzi. Xinjiang has a vast territory and the distance between the towns is far. In the long history, traffic has become a bottleneck restricting Xinjiang’s development. Maigaiti County is surrounded by desert. In the past, people could only cross Yeerqiang River by ferry or floating bridge, which was extremely inconvenient. With the finish and opening to traffic of Yeerqiang River Maigaiti Bridge, especially the construction of Maigaiti-Kashgar Expressway and Bachu-Shache Expressway, the county has been integrated into the transportation network of Xinjiang. The masses from different ethnic groups have a convenient travel and smooth logistics, and their incomes are also getting higher and higher. Amer Yiming is a resident of Maigaiti County. He has witnessed the development of transportation in his county over the decades. Next, let’s ask Amer Yiming, a resident of Maigaiti County in Kashgar, to tell us his story with Maigaiti traffic.
Photo taken on September 25, 2021 shows Amer Yiming, a resident of Maigaiti County in Kashgar speaks at the Press Conference on People-Benefiting Transportation by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zhou Peng
Amer Yiming: Hello, I am Amer Yiming. I am 50 years old. I am a native Maigaiti person from Maigaiti County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang.
The people who have ever lived in Maigaiti can never forget the scene of ferrying cross the Yeerqiang River in the 1980s and 1990s. Nor do they forget the narrow meandering footpath that connects the countrysides, the bumpy dirt roads and the scene that they are covered with dirt in sunny days and with mud in rainy days. And the only transportation to travel is carriage.
Until the 1990s, the Yeerqiang River ferry was the only way in and out of Maigaiti County. At that time, there was no bridge. So people ferried to cross the river during the flood period, and during the drought period, people connected the wooden boats with each other and built wooden pilings to form floating bridges for people to cross until the flood period came. The Yeerqiang River hindered Maigaiti’s connection with the outside world, making it inconvenient to get out of Maigaiti. From Maigaiti to Kashgar, it’s necessary to pass Shache County and Yingjisha County. If there was a bus, you could get to Kashgar in one day. If there was no bus, you would get to Kashgar by tractor in two or three days. And when you got to Kashgar, you were covered with dust, and seemed to come out of the dust.
The inconvenient transportation has greatly affected our life. In 1988, my younger brother fell seriously ill, and my parents took him to the People's Hospital of the County. But the doctor suggested that we should go to Kashgar. When my parents took my younger brother to Kashgar People’s Hospital for treatment, it happened to be in the flood period, and the ferry was out of service. We had to wait for 3 days to get on the boat, it took more than 9 hours to reach Kashgar. When arriving at Kashgar hospital, the doctor diagnosed that my brother had missed the treatment period and died in the hospital after repeated rescue efforts were ineffective. If transportation had been convenient, my brother could have been saved.
In 1993, when I returned home from college on vacation, there were 3 currents to cross the Yeerqiang River. Only one of them had a floating bridge, and the other two had no bridge, so I had to walk through the water carrying my luggage. I put my luggage on my head and walked slowly through the water, but when I came to the third place where there was water, only to find that the water was quite deep and nearly up to my head. A man beside me gave me a hand so that I was able to reach the bank safely.
In 1990s, our country invested 40 million yuan to build a one-kilometer-long Yeerqiang River Maigaiti Bridge over the thousand-year ancient ferry. It was the first in Southern Xinjiang and the second in the whole Xinjiang. When the bridge opened to traffic, everyone spontaneously came to the bridge to celebrate, like a festival lively. The bridge connected Maigaiti County to the outside world, after that, the rural roads extended to every village.
In 2014, the Maigaiti-Kashgar Expressway and Bachu-Shache Expressway were finished and opened to traffic one after another. And the road network connecting the countryside in all directions brought great convenience to our travel and increased our economic exchanges with the surrounding areas.
In the past, most of our agricultural products were produced and sold by ourselves. But now with the development of transportation, there are many kinds of special agricultural products, such as Daolang Hui Jujube, Daolang Tu muskmelons, walnuts and so on. Many buyers from other places come to buy the agricultural products, so villagers no longer have to worry that the products are unsalable.
These are the benefits and convenience that rural roads bring to us ordinary people. Now, it’s very convenient for masses from different ethnic groups in Maigaiti County to travel. Moreover, every family has electromobiles, motorbikes and cars, and they can go wherever they want at any time.
Next, here is a video, and please take a look.
Recently, I saw on the Internet that some foreign media said that we Uygurrs in Xinjiang were “ethnic genocide” and were forced into labor, and other lies, which is a complete rumor and slander. Having lived here for decades, we have never seen a family extincted and a person forced into labor. We have lived a very happy life. Please don’t talk nonsense! Thanks.
Host: Thank you, Amer Yiming. In recent years, our country has given strong support to the development of civil aviation industry in Xinjiang and constructed a number of feeder airports, which gives great convenience to travel of the masses from different ethnic groups in Xinjiang. On December 26, 2020, Yutian Wanfang Airport opened to traffic, improving the comprehensive transportation system in Hotan Prefecture and shortening the space distance with other cities in and out of Xinjiang. Moreover, the opening of the airport has strongly promoted the development of tourist industry and logistics industry, and provided safe, comfortable and convenient transportation conditions for masses from different ethnic groups in Yutian and surrounding counties and cities. Silimuhan Mettiruzi is a staff at Yutian Wanfang Airport. She provides meticulous and considerate service to passengers every day. Now, let’s ask Silimuhan Mettiruzi, a staff of Yutian Wanfang Airport in Hotan Prefecture, to tell her story.
Photo taken on September 25, 2021 shows Silimuhan Mettiruzi, a staff of Yutian Wanfang Airport in Hotan Prefecture speaks at the Press Conference on People-Benefiting Transportation by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zhou Peng
Silimuhan Mettiruzi: Hello, I am Silimuhan Mettiruzi. I am 24 years old. I am a ground staff of airport, coming from Yutian County, Hotan Prefecture. There are 5 people in my family.
In June 2020, after I graduated from Zhejiang Normal University and returned to my hometown, I saw the Yutian Wanfang Airport is in full construction. It’s unimaginable that a county with a population of less than 300,000 could construct an airport. At that time, I had an idea that how nice it would be to work at the airport. It was not long before the airport started hiring. I became an employee of Wanfang Airport after applying. I was very excited that I could work in my hometown and my wish came true. Moreover, more than 60 years ago, uncle Qurban in my hometown, facing the wind and sand, with the bumper harvest, riding the donkey across the desert, went to Beijing to meet Chairman Mao -- this persistence, spreading all over the Tianshan Mountains, touched countless people.
Yutian County is located in the south of Xinjiang and is bordered to the north by Taklimakan Desert. It is 200 kilometers away from Hotan City and more than 1000 kilometers away Urumqi Municipality. So it’s inconvenient for ordinary people to travel. I remember that in the past we went to Urumqi by bus for more than 30 hours. And if we wanted to go to Urumqi by plane, we needed to go to Hotan by car for more than 4 hours, and then flew from Hotan to Urumqi, which took more than 6 hours before and after. After Yutian Wanfang Airport officially opened on December 26, 2020, we ordinary people in Yutian can go to Urumqi by plane on our doorstep, and it only takes one and a half hours. Tourists from other places can also come to Yutian directly for sightseeing.
After the finish of constructing Yutian Wanfang Airport, there are 3 airlines opening 8 routes, and the flights begin in 7 cities, including Shenzhen, Chengdu, Beijing, Urumqi, Hotan, Korla and Aksu, which not only promotes the rapid development of tourist industry and logistics industry in my hometown, but also drives the sales of agricultural and sideline products in my hometown. My friend Abudureman Abudueni is a sales manager of a company in Yutian that deals in the rabbit industry. Before the opening of the airport, their company could only deliver goods by the transportation of trucks, and it often took 5 to 7 days to deliver goods to the outside of Xinjiang, which was very inconvenient. After I worked in the airport, I offered to help them get in touch with the airport and sign air transport agreements. Now it’s very convenient for their company to delivery goods to the outside of Xinjiang, and if they want to delivery goods to Sichuan, Chongqing and Tianjin, they can finish the delivery in 2 days. The opening of the airport has greatly improved the transportation speed and helped their company open the sales market of the outside of Xinjiang. The company can sell 400,000 to 500,000 yuan of rabbit meat products to the market of the outside of Xinjiang every mouth, bringing a very substantial profit. At the same time, their company has provided more than 300 jobs for ordinary people in Yutian, helping local people to find jobs nearby, and achieving the interests of income.
Since I worked in the airport, my family’s living conditions are getting better and better. I feel very happy to see that there are more and more smiles on my parents’ faces. Looking at the development of my hometown is getting better and better, as a Yutian people, I feel extremely proud. And I will continue to work hard in the future, to provide better and better service to passengers. Next, here is a video, please take a look.
Host: Thank you, Silimuhan Mettiruzi. In recent years, civil aviation transportation market in Xinjiang continues to expand, and more and more people go out by plane. The aviation network layout, that “forming a fan from the east to the west and forming a network in Xinjiang”, has taken initial shape. Xinjiang Airport Group has opened 264 air routes, among them, 56 direct routes from feeder airports to the outside of Xinjiang are included, 12 routes from feeder airports to the outside of Xinjiang are opened, and 20 direct routes to the outside of Xinjiang are also included. Mieralimu Mirkadir and his colleagues provides services to passengers coming in and out of Xinjiang to ensure that all passengers can get a smooth travel. Next, let’s ask Mieralimu Mirkadir, the deputy director of the Air Traffic Management Business Department of Xinjiang Airport Group, to tell the story of development of Xinjiang airport.
Photo taken on September 25, 2021 shows Mieralimu Mirkadir, the deputy director of the Air Traffic Management Business Department of Xinjiang Airport Group speaks at the Press Conference on People-Benefiting Transportation by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zhou Peng
Mieralimu Mirkadir: Hello, everyone! My name’s Mieralimu, a worker in Xinjiang Airport Group Co., Ltd. This year is my 16th year of working here since I joined our group.
16 years ago, I was a freshman who has just stepped into the society, and I was curious about my new career. On the first day, my boss arranged a highly-skilled worker from my department to be my master. I cherished this job very much, so I followed his direction, worked hard to learn professional skills, and got familiar with every step in the airport’s production and operation. When I was mired in troubles, my colleagues around would always do me a favor. I made rapid progress, and my company constantly assigned me to go out for extensive learning. At the same time, my professional capabilities were greatly enhanced. Therefore, I soon received a promotion from an average technician to a middle-level manager in my department.
Over the past 16 years, as a worker of the civil aviation airport, I have profoundly felt the significant changes that took place in our country, as well as the great changes in the development of civil aviation industry and those in the people’s living standard. Today, I would like to share my feelings with all of you.
I still remember that 16 years ago, when I just took the job, the prices of the airplane tickets were very high, especially in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region which has a vast territory. On account of its relatively long air route, the price of a ticket of a flight which is bound for another province could even amount to a monthly salary for many. Besides, since airports were few in Xinjiang, there were merely a few people who chose to take flights for their trips. And I still remember that in 2005, only through the airline counters or the ticket agents could passengers buy tickets, and they had to arrive several hours earlier because such processes as registration for boarding passes, baggage check-in and security check were all done manually, under such circumstances, it would take a long time for passengers to wait, which really made unsatisfactory experiences for their trips. What’s worse, if they had ever encountered flight delays caused by terrible weather, the passengers could do nothing but to wait in the lounge for a deadly long time. At that time, Xinjiang Airport Group Co., Ltd had 10 airports, with the population of passengers coming in and out reaching 5,690,000 or so, and the amount of cargo shipment and delivery reaching 64,000 tons. These statistics are totally negligible when compared with those of the present.
During these 16 years, with the continuous development of economy and society in Xinjiang, our country has invested a lot in the construction of Xinjiang transportation, especially in the civil aviation, and the industry has thus been changed massively. More and more airports have been built in Xinjiang, along with increasing airlines, and it has also become more and more comfortable for passengers to take airplanes. Now, not only the price of the air ticket is affordable, but the ways for people to buy tickets are also convenient. I firmly believe that, through the construction of “Intelligent Airport” that we are working on, people from all ethnic groups in Xinjiang will have more convenient and comfortable travels in the near future.
Next, let’s watch a video clip together.
The things you have seen are what I feel most directly as a staff member in the industry of Xinjiang Civil Aviation Airport, and these achievements could only be made through the leadership of our Party and country. Nothing but people has the final say whether the regimes and governance of a nation are suitable and outstanding. Our present good life is the most powerful counterattack to some Western politicians and those so-called Xinjiang-related issues which have been taken advantage of by the media. They have distorted facts, and verbally attacked and smeared us with malicious intentions, which are, from my perspective, the most ridiculous tricks that even innocent kids wouldn’t buy. As our country is becoming stronger and mightier, they have no chance to surpass us with justified means, only to try with some despicable and indecent measure they can think of to suppress us. I also want to tell those with my own experiences: “You’d better not do these things anymore because these would all be vain efforts. We Chinese people are far more united and formidable than you could even expect.”
Host: Thanks for Mieralimu Mirkadir’s telling. In recent years, the construction of Xinjiang Railway has been promoted rapidly. The operation speed of Urumqi-Hami section of Lanzhou-Xinjiang high-speed railway has been increased from 200km / h to 250km / h. The high-speed train equipped with night sleepers, which travels from Urumqi to Xi'an, has been running smoothly. The centralized power EMUs have been running in Yining, Karamay, Korla and some other places. The "Fuxing" high-speed train is running on the vast land of Xinjiang. Adi Turdi is one of the first generation EMU drivers in Xinjiang. He has experienced the development of Xinjiang high-speed railway from scratch. Next, let's invite Adi Turdi, a driver of EMU in Urumqi Locomotive Depot of China Railway Urumqi Bureau Group Co., Ltd., to tell his story.
Photo taken on September 25, 2021 shows Adi Turdi, a driver of EMU in Urumqi Locomotive Depot of China Railway Urumqi Bureau Group Co., Ltd. Speaks at the Press Conference on People-Benefiting Transportation by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zhou Peng
Adi Turdi: Hello, everyone! My name’s Adi Turdi. I’m 41 years old, and I am an Uygur. I’m a train driver from Urumqi Locomotive Depot Workshop, as well as one of the first-generation high-speed train drivers. I’m always proud to have a chance to witness and get involved in the process of Xinjiang’s entering the new era of high-speed trains.
Now, I’d like to invite you to take a look at our high-speed train drivers in Xinjiang via a video clip.
I was born in a family with a strong connection to the railway. In my impression, the loud and clear steam whistles lingered on through my childhood. After I graduated from senior high school, I chose to major in internal combustion engine without hesitation. Out of the yearning for the career of train driver and the interest in machines, I studied quite easily. During the school time, I once won the first and the second prizes in the technological competitions. To encourage me, my father even bought me a pretty stylish pager as a reward.
In 2003, I got a job as a staff member of railway system. My childhood dream has come true and I have nearly exerted all of my efforts in it. I passed the exams and became a diesel locomotive assistant driver and soon after that I was qualified for a regular driver. Then I rode my train running along the railways in Xinjiang, accelerating a total safe driving distance of 575,300km, and I was also named as the “Model of Security”. With excellent professional proficiency and high sense of responsibility, I was selected as a candidate for the sectional train driver, and eventually got through the selection.
Through hard work for months and strict exams, interviews, actual operation and training, I became an eligible train driver. At 11 a.m., on November 16th of 2014, I had the honor to drive the train D8602 smoothly and steadily from Southern Urumqi Railway Station to the destination, Hami Railway Station, which was enshrined into the history. The whole route of the Urumqi-Hami section of Lanzhou-Urumqi Railway was put into service for the first time, which marked the first high-speed train driven on the land of Xinjiang, and it also represented the official entry into the era of high-speed trains in Gansu Province, Qinghai Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Therefore, I became one of the first-generation high-speed train drivers.
Nowadays, the transportation of high-speed trains has been normalized, and I have heard more and more compliments about high-speed trains than ever before. Some passengers said, “Previously, it would take at least three or four hours for us to drive from Urumqi to Turpan for travelling. But now it only takes us an hour to get there by train. It’ s really convenient!”
I still remember that once I heard the conductor in the Urumqi section said, with high-speed trains, a lawyer who lived in Urumqi could work in Turpan. In the past, he had to frequently drive to and from between the two places. But now, since the high-speed trains were available, he often got on the train that travels from Urumqi to Turpan in the early morning to go to work, like many white-collar workers in Beijing and Shanghai, who lived a life of twin cities.
When hearing these words, I was very proud. With those high-speed trains, the distance of time and space between different cities is narrowed. The travelling has been more convenient for people, and the life of twin cities has thus come true. Besides this lawyer, many passengers working in Hami and Turpan, who visited their relatives once a month previously, could pay visits once a week now. When being busy on weekends and holidays, some passengers would rather go home by train without seats than by other vehicles. For this, Xinjiang Railway Department added more trains or reconnect trains to meet people’s demands and to provide people with more convenience.
The high-speed trains have also boosted the economy of tourism in those cities along the railways as Urumqi, Turpan, Shanshan, Hami, etc. With those trains, fast arrivals and slow-paced visits have come true, which has saved much time for the trips . On weekends, plenty of tourists thought of travelling by train as an optimal decision, especially the travelling to the Kumtag Desert in the county of Shanshan, renowned as the nearest desert to a city. After the operation of the trains, not only travel enthusiasts went sightseeing of desert by train, but sometimes in half of the carriages were parents bringing their kids together. Being able to serve more passengers makes me feel energetic and passionate every time I travel.
As the frequency of high-speed trains increased, followed by the launches of brand new types of locomotives, and the re-connection of the trains, the upgrade of professional knowledge has also become faster. I would continuously acquire the new knowledge after I went home and took care of my kids. My wife didn't understand at the beginning, but when she saw my outstanding achievements of Xinjiang Bullet train, she also became supportive of my work Every time I was going to drive, she would encourage me, “ Take care of your ride, and I’ll take care of our home!” So warm are her words that I could bury myself on my work with full concentration.
On October 11th of 2020, the first Urumqi-Xi’an high-speed train D2708 was put into operation, which marked that Xinjiang high-speed railway has been integrated into the major network of national high-speed railways. On July 1st of 2021, from Urumqi to Xi’an, a high-speed train with night sleepers, which has been long-numbered as D2708 and D2701, was put into operation, and this has further optimized passengers’ traveling experience. Based on fast operation and strong service functions, high-speed trains with night sleepers are more humanized. The operation of the overnight trains has become a popular topic among people at the moment, and they have relieved people from feeling tired on their journeys while satisfying people’s current needs for consumption. I took part in every upgrade of the trains, and I have also witnessed people’s happiness in the era of high-speed trains.
Host: Thanks for Adi Turdi’s telling. Recently, Xinjiang’s transportation industry has positively contributed to the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, focusing on ensuring the transport of China-Europe freight trains, enhancing the capacity of Xinjiang as a trading port and gradually developing the handling ability and efficiency as a port. During the Thirteenth Five-year Plan period, the number of cargo has increased by 621.7% in Horgos pass and by 142.3% in Alashankou pass, which benefits from the effect of China-Europe freight trains as a channel. Aiziwar Ruzimemetti is a duty officer of Entry of Alashankou Station’s cargo workshop for foreigners. He has witnessed the Custom of Entry of Alashankou transformed from a desolate, windswept place into a busy land crossing. Now, let’s watch a short video to learn the story of Aiziwar Ruzimemetti, the member of foreign duty team of cargo assembly workshop of Entry of Alashankou Station, China Railway Urumqi Bureau Group Corporation, Ltd.
Host: Just now, the six speakers have expressed the senses of gaining, happiness and security which derive from the transport in Xinjiang, based on their own experience. We do feel the benefits which come from the development of transport in Xinjiang to the people of all nationalities in Xinjiang. Today, we also have invited Guo Sheng, the deputy director of transportation in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Let’s welcome him to exchange views with all reporters on the issue which we all cared about.
Host: Now, it is time for questions. Please report where you are from before asking the question. The fourth reporter in the second row.
Xinhua Reporter: Thank you. I am from the Xinhua News Agency. My question is what measures have Xinjiang government taken to promote the construction of high quality rural roads to help rural revitalization? Thank you.
Host: Thank you for your question. Let’s invite Guo Sheng, the deputy director of the transport department in Xinjiang, to answer this question.
Photo taken on September 25, 2021 shows Guo Sheng, the deputy director of the transport department in Xinjiang answers questions at the Press Conference on People-Benefiting Transportation by Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zhou Peng
Guo Sheng: Thanks, I will answer this question from 5 aspects. Firstly, consolidating and developing the achievements of “Two Links”. We plan to check the implementation of tarmac or cement roads and complete access to bus services in 869 townships and 9133 villages which are eligible. We will urge local governments to ensure the management, maintenance, upgrading and renovation of rural roads and the tarmac or cement roads are in good condition.
Secondly, strengthening road infrastructure in rural areas. In 2021, 6 billion yuan will be invested in rural road construction, and 5,700 kilometers of new or upgraded rural roads will be built. Four townships will have access to tertiary highways, administrative villages will have access to two-lane roads, 376 natural villages(groups) with a large population will have access to tarmac or cement roads, and six rural roads for tourism will be built. Furthermore, we will integrate the development of high quality roads with the development of beautiful villages and rural tourism.
Thirdly, comprehensively improving the capacity and level of road management in rural areas. We will push forward the reform of the management and maintenance system for roads in rural areas. In addition, we have driven Xinjiang’s government to introduce the Implementation Plan for Fully Implementing the Roads Chiefs System in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and promoted the road chief system at county, township and village. Our transportation department has introduced the Implementation Plan for Deepening the reform of the Rural Roads Management and Maintenance in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and we will vigorously advance the pilot reform of the management and maintenance system. Some model counties have led the development of high quality rural roads that are properly built, operated, managed and maintained. Until now, 5 counties have been built into national models of high quality rural road construction, and 25 counties have been built into provincial models. Among them, the road from Ha’ermodun Town to Moxigandaban in Hejing County was rated as the “Top Ten Beautiful Rural Roads in China” in 2020.
Fourthly, promoting integrated development of transportation and rural industries and continuing to promote development patterns such as “road+e-commerce”, “road+rural tourism”, “road+industrial development” etc. And we will connect major rural tourist attractions, major industries and resource nodes, small and medium-sized townships and villages with distinctive features, making rural revitalization enters a period of fast development. In addition, we will strengthen the development of passenger transport stations and facilities in townships and townships, promote the extension of urban public transport lines to neighboring villages, and encourage areas where conditions permit us to upgrade rural passenger bus routes.
Advancing and stepping up the construction of a three-tiered rural logistics network at county, townships and village levels, we will accelerate the integrated development of passenger, freight and postal services in rural areas. By the end of 2021, there will be no less than 100 cooperative transport routes for transport, postal and express services built in Xinjiang. At present, 56 "China Post Station + Township Transport Service Station" have officially opened and 46 shuttle bus service lines have been put into effect. What we have done is to solve the problem of market-based express delivery in villages and towns, and to solve the "last mile" problem for farmers to operate e-commerce in villages.
Finally, ensuring stable employment and boosting employment and income. We will try our best to create jobs around rural roads whilst promoting the development of high-quality rural roads and actively promote work-relief to support farmers to participate in the construction of small transportation infrastructure on rural roads. At present, more than 8,000 people from Xinjiang have been employed in the construction of rural roads in the whole region, and about 2,100 local people have been employed on 29 rural roads under construction through work relief.This year, we will continue to deepen the work of special posts for rural road maintenance. Under the condition of maintaining the policy of 22,000 special posts for maintenance in 22 counties in Kashgar, Aksu, Hotan and Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture unchanged, we will strengthen the skills training of maintenance workers and improve the maintenance level.Referring to the practice of autonomous region's special maintenance post, the government in Aksu assigned 1,500 road controllers and road guards to work on rural road maintenance in the other seven counties and cities, and supported them with funds raised by themselves. All counties and cities in the prefecture are covered with special maintenance posts. Local people of all nationalities can work at home, and have a new means of acquiring money.
Host: Thanks for the answer from the deputy director, Guo Sheng. Now, let’s go ahead and now let’s invite the second reporter in the third row to raise the question.
China News Service Reporter: Thank you, host. I am from China News Service. My question is “in the transportation work plan of 14th Five-Year Plan, what will Xinjiang do about transportation to benefit people in Xinjiang?”
Host: Thanks for your question. Let’ s give the floor to Guo Sheng, deputy director of the Autonomous region's Department of Transportation.
Guo Sheng: Thanks for your question. Benefit-people traffic is always our direction of efforts. I would like to answer this question from four aspects. Firstly, the traffic channel pattern is basically taking shape. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, investment in highway transportation will reach 400 billion yuan, the total length of highway transportation will reach 220,000 kilometers (including the XPCC), and the length of highway transportation (grade 1) will reach over 10,000 kilometers. We will add two expressways named G7 Beijing-Xinjiang Expressway and G315 from Ruoqiang to Yitanbulak to make it more convenient for people to leave Xinjiang. With the support of the state, we will build two highway channels named G575 from Balikun to Hami and G0711 from Urumqi to Yuli crossing the Tianshan Mountains from north to south by the end of this year and begin to construct G219 and Duku Expressway to solve the problem of the north-south barrier of Tianshan Mountain. We will realize the highway development surrounding Junggar Basin in the north of Xinjiang and Tarim Basin in the south of Xinjiang. Secondly, Xinjiang will realize comprehensive high-speed in three fields. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, we will basically realize that every county will be connected to expressways (grade 1), all AAA scenic spots and above will be connected to expressways (grade 1), and ports that are open all year round will be connected to expressways (grade 1). Thirdly, Xinjiang will continue to strengthen road construction in rural areas to serve rural revitalization. We will also promote the connection to level-3 highway in towns and townships, the connection to double-lane in nationally-set villages, as well as the improvement of quality and upgrade for those highways, while supporting the construction of a series of rural tourism roads, resource roads and industrial roads, which is centered on rural industries. Besides, we will also vigorously implement the connection of natural villages (groups) to hardened roads. A total of 28,600 kilometers of rural roads were rebuilt in five years and the total length of rural roads reached 157,000 kilometers. 90 percent of townships and towns had roads of grade 3 or above. The proportion of hardened roads in natural villages (groups) with more than 10 households reached 90%. A rural road transportation network that connects urban and rural areas with reasonable layout, safe and unimpeded traffic, high-quality services and a green economy is basically established. Fourthly, we will optimize road travel services comprehensively. We will deepen the integrated development of transportation and tourism, advance the construction of scenic byways and recreational vehicle camps, build fast-forward transportation networks, and improve facilities for slow travel, so as to better meet the people's growing demand for travel. 73 pairs of expressway service areas will be upgraded, and the functions of 125 national and provincial trunk highway service areas and parking areas will be improved. We will support Nang industry, set up Nang pits in service areas, provide quality in-transit services; perfect the construction of stations and hubs of passenger and freight transport, and encourage new forms of transportation to provide customized bus services to the public. We will expand ETC services, create a better environment for people to travel more easily, and enhance people's sense of gain, happiness and security from transport.
Host: Thanks for your answer, Mr.Guo During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Xinjiang will make efforts to consolidate its foundation, tout the advantages, and strengthen its weak points. Transport plays an important pioneering, basic, strategic and service-oriented role in the development of Xinjiang’s economy. By the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we aim to increase the length of railways in operation by over 2,100 kilometers and make the total length of railways be over 9,500 kilometers, realizing the situation of railways encircle Xinjiang and are operated in key areas. The total length of highways in the region will reach 220,000 kilometers (including the XPCC), and we will increase the length of expressways (grade 1) by more than 4,500 kilometers, making the total length of expressways (grade 1) be more than 10,000 kilometers to basically realize that all counties and main scenic spots are connected to first-class expressways. Fifteen civil transport airports will be built or are under construction in five years, and make the total number of civil transport airports be 37. Improved service quality makes the journey easier. We welcome friends from all over the world to visit Xinjiang, enjoy its convenient transportation and feel its harmony and stability. That’s all for today’s press conference. Thank you, fellow speakers and friends from the media.