The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in western China is the major growing area and accounts for the greatest amount of cotton production, producing nearly 21.5 percent of Chinas total cotton. China plans to develop Xinjiang the country’s largest cotton producing region as the regional textile and apparel trading centre for which the Chinese Government will make an investment of CNY10bn (US$1.6bn).

Xinjiang has all the needed conditions which are advantageous for cotton-growing, such as sufficient light and heat, long sunlight hours and a dry climate with little precipitation. The cotton grown here is glossy and white, with strong elasticity, long fibers, and high ranking. Xinjiang is the one and only long-staple cotton production base in China.

The Chinese 12th five-year (2011-2015) development plan has earmarked Xinjiang to boost textile industry, while Aksu, Shihezi and Korla have been chosen as three textile industrial cities.

It has also planned to develop large textile industrial parks in seven cities, towns and counties - Hami city, Bachu county, Alar city, Xayar county, Manas county, Kuytun city and Khorgas town. This will add around 1 m jobs in the region.

A comprehensive service system has also been set up to serve these bases in management, technology popularization, propagation of fine breeds, purchasing and processing.

The investment will help them to become an export hub as they plan to export apparel and textile products to Europe, central Asia, western Asia and south Asia, an official at the Xinjiang government's textile industry management office said.

The investment will be utilized to attract clothing manufacturers from other provinces, build infrastructure, and to subsidize existing local textile companies by lowering taxes and subsidizing logistics costs.