The State Council has approved a national territorial spatial plan for Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for the 2021-2035 period, according to an official reply released on May 23.

According to the reply, by 2035, the total area of cultivated land in Xinjiang should be at least 101.21 million mu, of which the protection area for permanent basic farmland will be at least 82.2383 million mu, and the red line area for ecological protection should not be less than 423,300 square kilometers.

To underpin new development patterns, the circular stressed implementing strategies in coordinated regional development, functional zones, new urbanization, rural vitalization and other major regional plans.

While pushing forward construction of the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, Xinjiang's regional opening-up strategy should be integrated into the overall layout of the country's westward opening-up, and building major channels toward the world should be accelerated to utilize both international and domestic markets and resources.

Agricultural and animal husbandry industrial belts on the northern and southern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains should be stabilized, the reply said, and efforts will be made to strengthen the restoration of degraded arable land and saline-alkali land, and consolidate ecological security barriers such as the Altai Mountains, Tianshan Mountains, Kunlun Mountain-Altun Mountains, and Tarim River.

The driving role of the Urumqi metropolitan area will be enhanced, and support will be given to build Kashgar and Yining into regional central cities, the reply said.

In terms of transportation, work will be done to improve the northern, central, and southern passages, and the north-south major comprehensive traffic network in Xinjiang.

Meanwhile, large-scale national oil and gas production, processing, and reserve bases; coal, coal-electricity, and coal-chemical bases; wind and solar power bases, and national energy and resource land corridors will be built, to ensure the security of strategic mineral resources.

The protection of world cultural and natural heritage and red cultural heritage sites is also stressed.