The State Council has approved a national territorial spatial plan for Urumqi, capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, for the 2021-2035 period, according to an official reply issued on Jan 17.

Urumqi is an international comprehensive transportation hub and holds significant importance as a major city in West China, the reply said.

As per the reply, by 2035, the total area of cultivated land in Urumqi should be no less than 872.3 thousand mu, of which the protection area for permanent basic farmland should be at least 639.4 thousand mu, and the red line area for ecological protection should not be less than 3281.33 square kilometers.

The reply urged Urumqi to deeply integrate into the joint construction of the Belt and Road while leading the construction in the core region of the Silk Road Economic Belt, enhance supportive capacities in the sub-regional cooperation with bordering countries and invigorate the integrated development of the city clusters on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains.

More measures should be taken to accelerate building an urban system with regional coordination and urban-rural integration. Urumqi should also deepen the integrated development of the corps and the local areas.

It is also asked to consolidate the ecological barriers of Tianshan Mountains, protect and restore ecological systems of rivers. Moreover, Urumqi should rigorously protect premium grazing land, strengthen the restoration of degraded arable land and saline-alkali land, and guarantee space for modern urban agriculture.

Space needed for developing advanced manufacturing, trade and logistics and ice and snow economy will be prioritized, according to the reply.

Urumqi should strengthen its function as an international aviation and railway hub connecting with central and western Asia, improve external and internal channels with multi-directional connectivity and multimodal transport, reserve space for major infrastructure, and build a comprehensive urban transport network that is safe, convenient, green and low-carbon.

In addition, the protection mechanism for cultural and natural heritages should also be improved to protect Nanshan scenic spot among others, according to the reply.