Countries gather at Xinjiang investment conference

URUMQI - Representatives from 15 countries and regions gathered at an investment conference in China's far west Xinjiang on Saturday in an effort to seek fresh trade opportunities.

The Roundtable Conference of Investment Promotion Institutions from Asia and Europe was held in the city of Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, as a warm-up prior to the opening on Sunday of the second China-Eurasia Expo, a six-day international economic and trade fair.

Carsten Germer, assistant country director with the United Nations Development Program, said at the conference that Xinjiang is an ideal investment destination for companies from China and abroad to invest in following China's policy to move industries westward.

The first China-Eurasia Expo in September 2011 contributed a total trade volume of $5.5 billion to Xinjiang, according to official data.

Germer said that this demonstrated Xinjiang's great economic potential and the huge business opportunities in the region.

The Pakistani Ambassador to China, Masood Khan, said at the conference that the first expo linked many Asian and European countries, showcasing China's will to realize harmonious development and win-win cooperation with the rest of the world.

The roundtable conference was attended by ambassadors, investment promotion institutions and enterprises from 15 countries and regions, including Britain, the Netherlands, Pakistan and Hong Kong.

The China-Eurasia Expo was upgraded from a regional trade fair, the 19-year-old China Urumqi Foreign Economic Relations and Trade Fair. Organizers said the expo is a significant platform for exchanges and cooperation between China, Asian and European countries in diversified fields.