The 2011 China International Wushu Invitational Tournament kicked off in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Saturday.

The two-day tournament has attracted 272 athletes from 16 countries and regions including Russia, Turkey, Brunei, the United States, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Mongolia.

"It is the largest and the most influential sporting event in western China. We hope it can be an interntional platform to promote Wushu to the world," said He Qinlong, the deputy chairman of China's Wushu Association.

The theme of the tournament is "fair, justice, open and friendship".