Xinjiang's GDP up 3.4% in 2020

A saleswoman promotes local dry fruits via livestream at the Grand Bazaar Pedestrian Mall in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on April 12. [Photo/Sipa]

The gross domestic product (GDP) of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region grew 3.4 percent year-on-year to about 1.38 trillion yuan ($213 billion) in 2020, according to local authorities.

Last year, the added value of the region's primary industry reached about 198.13 billion yuan, up 4.3 percent year-on-year, while that of the secondary industry reached some 474.45 billion yuan, an annual increase of 7.8 percent, regional statistics bureau figures show.

The added value of the tertiary industry also edged up 0.2 percent year-on-year to about 707.19 billion yuan in 2020.

The total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery reached 431.56 billion yuan last year, up 4.7 percent year-on-year.

The cotton output of Xinjiang, the country's largest growing area for the crop, exceeded 5.16 million tons in 2020, accounting for 87.3 percent of China's total.

As a pillar of Xinjiang's rural economy, the cotton industry is a major source of income for farmers in the region and has helped many shake off poverty.