Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is expected to chalk up a 10.5 percent annual growth in gross domestic product (GDP), to hit 261 billion yuan (32 billion U.S. dollars) in 2005, a senior official of the region said Friday.

"The value-added output of the region's industrial sector amounted to 83.5 billion yuan (1.03 billion U.S. dollars) in the first 11 months of the year, a 17.5 percent increase year-on-year, "said Wang Yongming, head of the Xinjiang Economic and Trade Commission.

A steady investment growth and robust consumer goods market contributed significantly to the region's industrial production, Wang said. He forecast that Xinjiang's value-added industrial output will exceed 100 billion yuan (12 billion U.S. dollars) for the whole year.

Since China began to carry out the strategy to develop its western regions in 2000, Xinjiang has seen a steady and fast economic growth.

The region plans to realize 117 billion yuan (14 billion U.S. dollars)in value-added industrial output in 2006, up 17 percent over the year-earlier level.

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