Illustration: Tang Tengfei/GT

While the US-led anti-China forces pulling the political scheme of vilifying China by viciously fabricating a "forced labor" lie about Xinjiang, the northwestern region of China is embracing a prosperous future with booming China-Europe freight train service and a comprehensive development to be led by the framework of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Alataw Pass, a major land port in Xinjiang, has seen 1,500 China-Europe freight trains pass through in 98 days since beginning of the year, achieving the number 42 days earlier than in 2020, Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday, citing local customs authorities.

The new record of Alataw Pass is, on one hand, a result of China-Europe freight train service becoming a lifeline for international trade; and on the other hand, is a strong reflection of Xinjiang's increasingly bright future as a logistics and transportation hub linking China and the whole Eurasia.

Deemed as the center of Eurasia's economic geography, Xinjiang borders eight countries. It is not only China's northwest doorway to Central and West Asia; with more and more freight trains connecting Chinese and European cities, Xinjiang has turned from a remote border region into a forefront of international trade and services. The region connects two colossal markets of home and abroad, with population size exceeding 1 billion at both sides.

Alongside the promotion of BRI, Xinjiang has seen transport infrastructure largely enhanced, economic and trade cooperation platforms improved, customs clearance optimized and financial service rapidly boosted.

Following the sudden onslaught of the novel coronavirus which interrupted global trade and personnel exchange, the importance of China-Europe freight train service has been greatly highlighted. Also the recent Suez Canal jam has sounded an alarm for international community to speed up land transport instead of overly relying on sea routes.

In the meantime, the great achievement and rosy prospect of Xinjiang is built on the premise of social stability and ethnic unity. It has long been a region with profound cultural and religious background. The inclusive environment is in line with the mutual assistance and beneficial principle of BRI.

With society becoming more stable and prosperous, the development of internet, tourism and cross border e-commerce sectors are speeding up and facilitating the comprehensive development of Xinjiang.

And Xinjiang, as a promising frontier region of China, has recently become a target of US-led anti-China forces. Without any evidence, they cooked up the so-called human right issue to smear Xinjiang in order to suppress development of China.

However, the historical trend is irreversible. China's peaceful development is not a threat to any country; instead, it will be a crucial driver for the world's economic recovery during post-COVID era.

The West's obstructions on China's path have never succeeded, and China's development momentum will not be dampened by those anti-China forces' ugly and vicious political maneuvers. With notable advantages in development, Xinjiang is set to embrace a very prosperous future. As Xinjiang's local economy keep growing fast and people living in peace and contentment, the lies cooked up by a few in the west will be shown to be little more than a joke.

The article was compiled based on an interview with Wang Yiwei, director of the institute of international affairs at Renmin University of China. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn