Urumqi: Belt and Road Initiative opens up Central Asian market for companies
CGTN
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An assembly line in SAIC Volkswagen's Urumqi plant.(CGTN: Screenshot)

Five years into the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Urumqi, capital of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has become a hub for companies across the world to explore the vast Central Asian market.

SAIC Volkswagen's Urumqi car assembly plant opened for business five years ago, first as a response to the Chinese government's call to develop the nation's far west. 

Coincidentally, just a few days after the factory was put into operation, the BRI was launched by China, providing the company with smoother access to the Central Asian market.

"Urumqi is closer to Central Asian countries than to other major Chinese cities. It saves logistics cost if we export our cars to Central Asia. After we get the green light from China and Germany, we'll be ready to export,” said Fu Xuejun, manager of the car plant.

SAIC Volkswagen is not the only foreign company coming across the BRI. 

The initiative requires massive infrastructure projects. And Swiss company ABB is an active participant.

"I think it's quite obvious that in the past five years, I really see a lot of business emerging in this area,” said Jiang Haibo, senior vice president of ABB China, “Lot of business comes from infrastructure, energy and industry. In ABB it has already become one of our strategic focus. We put a lot of resources in this.”

Companies are using the BRI as a springboard into Central Asia. But for locals in Urumqi, it means better jobs closer to home.

“I studied mechanical engineering. The job here fits my expertise. It's also close to home,” said Akram Machmut, who has been working as a maintenance engineer in the plant for years.

“I can take care of my family because I don't have to leave for big cities to work. I have two kids. I've already bought a home and a car here in Urumqi,” he told CGTN.