Southern Xinjiang gets better connected

A key roadway in Hotan prefecture, in the south of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was opened to traffic for the first time on Wednesday.

The four-lane highway is an important component of China's planned road network that aims to better connect the country with Central and South Asia.

Construction on the 74-kilometer highway linking Moyu and Lop counties via the city of Hotan broke ground in March 2015. The new roadway helps link every city and prefecture in the region to the highway network.