Xinjiang a symbol of Silk Road promise

Trade between China and other countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative has grown rapidly

At a cafe in Kashgar's renovated old town, a German family of four sat in the morning sunshine debating which type of grape was the tastiest or most succulent.

"We bought a hundred types of grapes to eat in the car. They were all different, and each of us had our own favorite," said Achim Loeffler, director of a chemical firm in Shanghai.