The 14th China Urumqi Foreign Economic Relations and Trade fair, a trading platform linking China with southern, central and western Asian countries, opened Thursday in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The five-day fair attracted more than 1,000 business people from countries including Russia, Kazakhstan and Pakistan, and 15 Chinese provinces, regions and municipalities.

The fair is expected to witness the signing of 14 foreign trade contracts worth about 243 million US dollars and a domestic trade of 25.5 billion yuan (US$315 million).

A forum will be held on middle and western Asian economic cooperation to promote regional cooperation, which draws more than 100 representatives from ten countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Iran.

Promotion activities like "Novosibirsk Day" of Russia and" Pakistan Day" will also be held during the fair.

"Xinjiang has established economic relations with more than 140 countries and regions and its foreign trade and economic cooperation are still expanding, "said Ismail Tiliwaldi, chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and also director of the fair's organizing committee.

"The fair will also contribute to further economic cooperation between central and western Asian nations."

Beginning in 1992, the annual trade fair has so far attracted business people from about 70 countries and regions and about 10,000 domestic business people.

It has concluded US$20.7 billion of foreign trade and 233.7 billion yuan (US$28.16 billion) of domestic trade, according to the regional government.

Famous for containing the historical Silk Road, Xinjiang is adjacent on eight countries and has opened 17 ports, becoming an important portal for China to connect with middle and western Asia.

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2005)