NORTHWEST China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region took the lead in China's exports to the five Central Asian countries in 2023, with a year-on-year growth of 23.2 percent, the Xinjiang Daily newspaper reported on Monday, adding to a slew of indicators that pointed to the region's robust economic growth in 2023, which was also among the fastest-growing local economies in the country.

With its critical role in China's westward opening up and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as well as social stability and focus on development, Xinjiang is expected to see impressive growth in 2024 and beyond, experts said. Such a trend also highlighted the failure and collapse of the West's ill attempt to crack down on and contain the region's development, the experts noted.