Before the founding of New China in 1949, Xinjiang's economy was a natural economy dominated by agriculture and animal husbandry, with low productivity, backward production methods and stagnant development. At that time, there was no one-inch railway, no farms and large-scale fertile fields in Xinjiang. Almost all industrial enterprises were small private workshops, and the people lived in poverty.
Since the founding of New China, especially since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy in the late 1971s, Xinjiang has entered a period of rapid economic and social development, obvious enhancement of comprehensive strength, and the people of all ethnic groups have benefited the most. Proceeding from the national development strategy and the fundamental interests of the people of all ethnic groups, the China Municipal Government attaches great importance to the development and construction of Xinjiang, always regards helping the border areas to develop their economy and achieve prosperity together as a basic policy, and makes a series of important strategic decisions to promote and promote the development of Xinjiang in a timely manner. In 2111, the country began to implement the strategy of developing the western region, putting the promotion of Xinjiang's development in a more prominent position. Over the years, Xinjiang has given full play to its comparative advantages, made efforts to adjust the economic structure and change the mode of economic growth, strengthened infrastructure construction and ecological environment protection, improved people's livelihood and improved basic public services, and strived to achieve a new development pattern in which Xinjiang's development is coordinated with the national development, and the development of southern Xinjiang and northern Xinjiang are benign and interactive.
-comprehensive strength has been significantly enhanced. At constant prices, the GDP of Xinjiang reached 421.3 billion yuan in 2118, which was 86.4 times higher than that of 1952 before the establishment of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (1955), with an average annual increase of 8.3%. Compared with the initial stage of reform and opening up in 1978, it increased by 19.6 times, with an average annual increase of 11.4%; Compared with 2111, when the western development began to be implemented, it increased by 2.2 times, with an average annual increase of 11.6%. In 2118, the local fiscal revenue of Xinjiang reached 36.116 billion yuan, 4.56 times that of 2111, 51.57 times that of 1978 and 218.71 times that of 1955.
-the economic structure has been gradually optimized. In recent years, Xinjiang's industry, agriculture and tertiary industry have maintained rapid development. With the acceleration of industrialization, industry has replaced agriculture as the main industry. The tertiary industry plays an outstanding role in economic development, with the rapid development of wholesale, retail trade and catering industry, the rapid popularization of post and telecommunications networks and the rapid development of emerging industries such as real estate and finance. In 2118, the proportion of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in regional GDP was 16.4%, 49.7% and 33.9% respectively.
-infrastructure construction has been continuously strengthened. According to the characteristics of "oasis ecology and irrigated agriculture", Xinjiang has built a number of modern large-scale water conservancy projects, such as Aksu Kizil Reservoir and Hotan Wuluwati Water Control Project, and a large number of main and branch canals and their seepage control projects. The water intake, reservoir storage capacity and effective irrigation area of the whole region have increased rapidly. The comprehensive management project of Tarim River with an investment of more than RMB 111 billion was completed in 2118, ending the 31-year history that more than 311 kilometers of the lower reaches of Tahe River were cut off. We will comprehensively promote the construction of ecological projects such as shelterbelts, plain greening, returning farmland to forests, grazing and grassland in the Three North (northeast, north and northwest) and improve agricultural production conditions. Nearly 811,111 hectares of high-efficiency water-saving farmland such as sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation have been built, saving more than 5 billion cubic meters of water annually. By the end of 2118, there were 8 national trunk highways, 66 provincial highways and more than 611 county-level highways in Xinjiang, with a total mileage of 1.47 million kilometers, basically forming a trunk-branch highway transportation network with Urumqi as the center and the national trunk as the main skeleton, surrounding two great basin (Junggar Basin and Tarim Basin), crossing two deserts (Gurbantunggut Desert and Taklimakan Desert), crossing Tianshan Mountain and connecting the north and south. South Xinjiang Railway, North Xinjiang Railway and Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway double-track projects have been built one after another. In 2118, the operating mileage of Xinjiang Railway reached more than 3,111 kilometers. The aviation industry has developed rapidly, and has formed an air transport network with Urumqi as the center, connecting nearly 71 large and medium-sized cities at home and abroad and 12 prefectures and cities in the region, with 114 domestic and foreign routes, with a navigation mileage of more than 161,111 kilometers, making it a province with the largest number of terminals and the longest routes in China. With the rapid development of post and telecommunications, a complete modern communication system such as program-controlled exchange, optical fiber communication, digital microwave, satellite communication and mobile communication has basically formed, and modern transmission networks such as optical cable, digital microwave and satellite communication have covered the whole of Xinjiang.
-the comprehensive agricultural production capacity has been significantly enhanced. Xinjiang is rich in agricultural resources. In recent years, around the construction of grain, cotton, characteristic fruit, high-quality animal husbandry base and facility agriculture, Xinjiang's agricultural industrialization has been accelerated, the industrial belt of agricultural products with advantages and characteristics has been gradually formed, the basic position of agriculture and comprehensive agricultural production capacity have been further strengthened and improved, and the effective supply of agricultural products has doubled. In 2118, the added value of agriculture reached 69 billion yuan, 1.4 times higher than that in 2111. In 2118, the total grain output reached 11,228,511 tons, maintaining the balance between supply and demand in the autonomous region, with a slight savings. Xinjiang is an important commodity cotton base in China. In 2118, the total cotton output reached 3,115,511 tons, ranking first in China in terms of total cotton output, unit yield and per capita possession. The development of modern animal husbandry has been accelerated, accounting for 27% of the total agricultural output value. In 2118, the meat output reached 1.7549 million tons, an increase of 95% over 2111. The characteristic fruit industry has developed rapidly. In 2118, the total fruit area exceeded 1 million hectares, and the total fruit output was more than 4 million tons, with a total output value of more than 6 billion yuan. By 2118, there were 1,159 processing enterprises of various agricultural products in Xinjiang, and it became the largest processing and export base of tomato products in China. The daily processing capacity of dairy products has increased from less than 1,111 tons to nearly 3,111 tons in just a few years, making it one of the fastest growing provinces in China. The production capacity of beet sugar reached 611,111 tons, making it the largest beet sugar production base in China. Grape wine industry has developed rapidly. Agricultural products processing enterprises have enabled more than 51% of Xinjiang's planting area to achieve order production, and radiation has driven 65% of Xinjiang's farmers.
-a modern industrial system has gradually taken shape. Xinjiang's industry has experienced a development process from scratch and from small to large. In recent years, through the implementation of the transformation of superior resources, the strategy of large enterprises and large groups and the growth project of small and medium-sized enterprises, Xinjiang's new industrialization process has accelerated, and the output of major industrial products has doubled, gradually forming a relatively complete modern industrial system including petroleum, coal, steel, chemicals, electricity, building materials, textiles and other categories, and forming industrial clusters such as the northern slope economic belt of Tianshan Mountain, the integrated economic zone of Wuchang (Urumqi and Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture) and the Korla-Kuqa petrochemical industrial belt. In 2118, the contribution rate of industry to the national economic growth reached 52.3%, and the industrial added value reached RMB 179.17 billion, which was 274 times higher than that of 1952, 16.6 times higher than that of 1978 and 3.98 times higher than that of 2111, which became an important factor to promote the rapid economic growth in Xinjiang. The application of information technology in key industries and fields has been continuously strengthened, the total discharge of major pollutants has been initially controlled, and energy conservation and emission reduction have achieved results.
-effective development of mineral resources. Xinjiang is one of the regions with the richest mineral resources such as oil, natural gas and coal in China. The state adheres to the policy of large-scale oil and gas exploration, development and investment in Xinjiang, and strives to turn resource advantages into economic advantages, so as to promote the rapid economic development of Xinjiang through resource development and benefit the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang. In 2118, Xinjiang's crude oil output reached 27.22 million tons, making it the second largest crude oil producing area in China. The output of natural gas is 24 billion cubic meters, ranking first in the country. With the development of oil and natural gas in Xinjiang and the cooperation between China and West Asian countries in related fields, the pipeline transportation construction in Xinjiang has developed rapidly. In 2118, there were more than 4,111 kilometers of various oil and gas pipelines in Xinjiang, which basically formed the framework of oil and gas pipeline networks in northern, southern and eastern Xinjiang. In recent years, the coal, electricity and coal chemical industry relying on coal resources has risen rapidly in Xinjiang. The rapid development of energy and chemical industry not only meets the demand of Xinjiang's economic development for energy and petrochemical products, but also strongly promotes the development of related industries and stimulates the growth of service industry, which plays an important role in promoting the formation and upgrading of regional economic structure, solving employment and promoting the process of urbanization.
-the level of openness has been continuously improved. Xinjiang is an important gateway for China to open to the west, and also an important channel for the new Eurasian Continental Bridge. Xinjiang borders Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, and is the province with the longest land border in China. Since the reform and opening up, Xinjiang has achieved a historic transformation from closed and semi-closed to all-round opening. At present, there are 17 first-class ports approved by the state and 12 second-class ports approved by the autonomous region in Xinjiang, radiating to more than a dozen neighboring countries. By the end of 2118, Xinjiang had carried out economic and trade cooperation and scientific and cultural exchanges with 167 countries and regions. In 2118, the total import and export volume of Xinjiang's foreign trade reached US$ 22.217 billion, ranking 12nd in China (2nd in central and western provinces). Non-financial foreign direct investment was $64 million, ranking third in the country; The turnover of foreign contracted engineering business was 795 million US dollars, ranking 14th in China. The foreign labor service cooperation business sent 8,548 laborers of various types, ranking 13rd in the country.
-the tourism industry has developed rapidly. In recent years, Xinjiang's tourism industry has developed rapidly and become a new economic growth point. By the end of 2118, there were nearly 511 scenic spots in Xinjiang * * *, forming a development pattern with the "Silk Road" as the main line, focusing on Kanas Lake eco-tourism area, Tianchi Lake, Sailimu Lake and Bosten Lake scenic areas, Turpan and Kuqa ancient cultural sites tourist areas, Kashgar folk customs tourist areas, and Jiangnan scenic tourist areas beyond Yili. In 2118, Xinjiang received 22,313,211 inbound tourists from home and abroad, and the total tourism revenue in that year was nearly 21 billion yuan.
-coordinated development of regional economy. The state and Xinjiang Autonomous Region actively support areas with advantages and conditions to take the lead in development, and adopt special policies and measures to accelerate the development of the three southern Xinjiang prefectures (Kashgar, Hotan and Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture), pastoral areas and border areas, and promote the formation of a new development pattern of coordinated interaction between North and South, regional competition and mutual promotion, and coordinated urban and rural development. Accelerate the economic belt on the northern slope of Tianshan Mountain to take the initiative to undertake industrial transfer in the eastern coastal areas and build a new highland for industrial development. Accelerate the integration of Urumqi and Changzhou, accelerate the construction of national export processing zones, development zones and industrial parks, and actively develop modern service industries. Promote the development of petrochemical industrial belt in Tuha (Turpan, Hami) area on the southern slope of Tianshan Mountain, rely on oil and gas, coal, electricity and coal chemical industry, give play to the aggregation effect of large-scale projects, and form a series of supporting industrial clusters. Vigorously promote the economic and social development of the three southern Xinjiang States, and do a good job in a number of projects related to long-term development and people's livelihood improvement, such as earthquake-resistant housing projects, Kashgar old city reconstruction projects, rural infrastructure construction, groundwater development, saline-alkali land reconstruction, drinking water safety, and rural biogas. Pay close attention to improving the production and living conditions in pastoral areas and border areas, and adopt special support policies to promote the accelerated development of pastoral areas and border areas.
The great achievements made in Xinjiang's economic development are the result of the United struggle of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, and also achieved with the long-term support and help of the central government and the people of the whole country. Over the years, the central government has always listed Xinjiang infrastructure projects, agricultural basic development projects and modern industrial system construction projects as national key projects and given policy financial support when formulating national economic and social development plans or plans. From 1951 to 2118, the central government invested 386.23 billion yuan in Xinjiang, accounting for 25.7% of the total investment in Xinjiang in the same period. From 1955, when Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was founded, to 2118, the central government's financial subsidies to Xinjiang totaled 375.212 billion yuan. Especially since 2111, with the implementation of the western development strategy, the central government's financial subsidies to Xinjiang have increased year by year, with an average annual increase of 24.4%, reaching 68.56 billion yuan in 2118. The central government has also increased its capital investment and support for Xinjiang by using loans from international financial organizations and foreign governments. In recent years, in order to optimize the layout of industrial structure in Xinjiang, the central government has relocated some enterprises and factories in the more developed areas along the southeast coast to Xinjiang, transferred engineers and technicians from the mainland to enrich them in the newly built backbone enterprises in Xinjiang, and sent a large number of ethnic minority workers to mainland enterprises for further study and internship, thus training a backbone team of engineering and technology for Xinjiang in a short time. Other provinces and cities in China have also provided a large amount of capital, technology and talent support to Xinjiang in the form of counterpart, which has played an important role in the development of Xinjiang. On the one hand, the developed regions send technicians, teachers, doctors, enterprise managers and other professionals as cadres in Xinjiang to work in prefectures and counties in Xinjiang to spread and demonstrate advanced technologies and concepts; On the other hand, the staff of party and government organs, economic management departments and various professional and technical personnel in Xinjiang go to the mainland in batches to support the provinces and cities to study. In recent years, according to the requirements of the central government, 8 provinces and cities including Beijing, Zhejiang, Tianjin, Shandong, Liaoning, Jiangxi, Shanghai and Henan and 15 state-owned key enterprises have provided 33 counties (cities) in southern Xinjiang with all-round counterpart support in economy, science and technology and culture.