The State Council’s Decision on the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region

Territorial and Spatial Planning ( Approval of the “Plan for the Development of the Digital Economy (2021–2035)”

National Letter [ No. 70 of 2024

People’s Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Ministry of Natural Resources:

Your request for approval of the “Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Territorial Spatial Plan ( We have received your request regarding the “Plan for the Development of the Digital Economy (2021–2035).” We hereby reply as follows:

I. In principle, approve the “Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Territorial Spatial Plan” as reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources ( “2021–2035” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”). The Plan serves as a guiding framework for spatial development and a spatial blueprint for sustainable development in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and constitutes the fundamental basis for all types of development, conservation, and construction activities. It is hereby earnestly implemented. The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is an important security barrier in China’s northwest and a strategic bridgehead for opening up to the west. The implementation of the Plan must be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully carry out the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, comprehensively, accurately, and thoroughly apply the new development philosophy and the Party’s governance strategy for Xinjiang in the new era, remain people-centered, coordinate development and security, promote harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, and, in the course of Chinese modernization, further build a beautiful Xinjiang that is united and harmonious, prosperous and affluent, civilized and progressive, peaceful and well‑off, and ecologically sound.

II. Consolidating the spatial foundation for safe development. By… By 2035, Xinjiang will maintain a total cultivated land area of no less than 101.21 million mu, with permanent basic farmland protected at no less than 82.24 million mu; the area within the ecological conservation red line will be no less than 423,300 square kilometers; the expansion factor of the urban development boundary will be kept within 1.35 times the 2020 level of urban construction land; the land-use intensity per unit of GDP will decline by at least 32%; and total water consumption will remain below the national targets, not exceeding 56.3 billion cubic meters by 2025, with stringent management of water-use intensity. Key areas for natural disaster risk prevention and control will be clearly identified, risk control lines for flooding and other hazards will be delineated, and spatial safeguards for strategic mineral resources and cultural‑historical heritage protection will be established, thereby comprehensively anchoring the spatial baseline for high‑quality development.

III. Building a territorial spatial system that supports the new development paradigm. We will deepen the implementation of the regional coordinated development strategy, major regional strategies, the strategy for functional zones, the new urbanization strategy, and the rural revitalization strategy, so as to foster a new pattern of territorial space development and protection characterized by clearly defined functions, complementary strengths, and high-quality growth. Leveraging our unique locational advantages, we will advance the construction of the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, integrate Xinjiang’s regional opening-up strategy into the national overall plan for westward opening, accelerate the development of major channels for external openness, make better use of both international and domestic markets and resources, and establish Xinjiang as a leading hub for inland and border‑area opening-up.

IV. Optimizing the Spatial Development and Conservation Pattern of Territorial Space. Leverage regional comparative advantages, refine the positioning of principal functional zones, further subdivide these zones, and improve differentiated support policies. Consolidate the agricultural and pastoral industrial belts along the northern and southern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains; tailor the layout of specialty agricultural product bases to local conditions; strengthen comprehensive management of degraded farmland and saline‑alkali soils; ensure appropriate land allocation for facility agriculture; promote diversified development of oasis agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries; and expand production space for distinctive, high‑value agricultural products. Fortify the Alatau, Tianshan, and Kunlun mountain ranges. —Establish ecological security barriers such as the Altyn-Tagh and the Tarim River, build a biodiversity conservation network, strengthen the protection and restoration of natural forests and grasslands, and advance integrated conservation and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grasslands, and deserts. Reinforce total water‑use control, accelerate comprehensive management in groundwater overexploitation zones—including the northern and southern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains and the Turpan–Hami Basin—enhance strategic water reserves, and elevate the level of water‑resource security. Strengthen the regional radiating and driving role of the Urumqi metropolitan area, support Kashgar and Yining in becoming regional central cities, and further leverage the agglomeration effects of these urban centers on population and industries. Improve port infrastructure at Alashankou, Hongqilafu, and other border crossings, foster functional linkages between border ports and hinterland towns, and ensure spatial requirements for infrastructure, industrial development, and basic public services. Develop urban–rural living circles, optimize rural spatial layouts by zoning and classification, and promote the establishment of social structures and community environments in which all ethnic groups are mutually embedded. Enhance the construction of a comprehensive, three‑dimensional transportation network along the northern, central, and southern corridors within Xinjiang, as well as the north–south corridor linking the two halves of the region, under the Silk Road Economic Belt framework. Build robust national large‑scale oil and gas production, processing, and storage hubs; major coal, coal‑power, and coal‑chemical bases; sizable wind, solar, and photovoltaic power generation facilities; and a national land‑based energy‑resource corridor, thereby safeguarding strategic mineral resources. Optimize the regional distribution of disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief facilities to bolster the resilience of territorial space. Improve mechanisms for the spatial protection of cultural and natural heritage, strengthen holistic conservation and systematic revitalization of both, preserve the historical and cultural legacies that reflect the long-standing interactions, exchanges, and integration among Xinjiang’s ethnic groups, protect world cultural and natural heritage sites such as the Subashi Buddhist Temple ruins, the ancient city of Jiaohe, Bogda Mountain, and Bayinbrook, reinforce the protection of red cultural heritage, and establish an integrated spatial framework for the comprehensive preservation of cultural, natural, and landscape resources.

V. Upholding the seriousness and authority of planning. The Plan constitutes a comprehensive spatial arrangement for the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, serving as the overarching policy framework for the protection, development, utilization, and restoration of the region’s territorial space. It must be strictly implemented, and no department or individual may arbitrarily amend or unlawfully alter it. In accordance with the requirements for regular health checks and five-year assessments, we will refine the mechanisms for monitoring, evaluating, and issuing early warnings on the implementation of territorial‑space plans at all levels and of all types, using the results of these assessments as a key basis for supervising and evaluating plan implementation. We will also establish and improve an integrated mechanism for planning oversight, law enforcement, and accountability, thereby ensuring full‑cycle management of the planning process.

VI. Ensuring Effective Implementation of the Plan The People’s Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region shall strengthen organizational leadership, clarify responsibilities and division of tasks, improve working mechanisms, and refine supporting policies and measures. It shall ensure the timely issuance and public disclosure of the Plan and enhance social oversight. The government shall organize the preparation of overall land‑use plans, detailed plans, and relevant special plans at all local levels, accelerate the establishment of a unified land‑space planning system, and coordinate land‑space development and protection. Furthermore, it shall reinforce guidance and constraints on special plans covering water conservancy, transportation, energy, agriculture, information technology, municipal infrastructure, as well as public service facilities, military installations, ecological and environmental protection, cultural heritage preservation, forestry, and grassland management, within the framework of land‑space planning. On the “single map,” coordinate and resolve conflicts and issues, and rationally optimize spatial planning. Establish and improve the national land‑space planning committee system to provide overarching coordination and guidance for the preparation, implementation, and management of land‑space plans. In accordance with the requirements of “a unified base map, unified standards, unified planning, and a unified platform,” refine the land‑space planning “single map” system and the land‑space basic information platform, build a monitoring network for the implementation of land‑space plans, and elevate the digitalization of spatial governance. The Ministry of Natural Resources shall, in collaboration with relevant parties and in line with their respective responsibilities, strengthen coordination and cooperation, enhance guidance, oversight, and evaluation, and accelerate the establishment of a full‑life‑cycle management system for implementing the Plan, thereby ensuring that all objectives and tasks set forth in the Plan are achieved. All relevant departments must resolutely implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on the “multi‑plan integration” reform, and refrain from establishing any additional spatial plans outside the land‑space planning framework. Any major matters arising during the implementation of the Plan shall be promptly reported and submitted for approval.

State Council

May 17, 2024

(This document is publicly released.)