The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a US$105 million loan to improve infrastructure, address hygiene and environmental concerns in China's northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The project focuses on three areas in Xinjiang - Alashankou, a major trade and transport hub on the border with Kazakhstan, the Kanas scenic region, and Yining City, the regional lender said in a press release.

For the first phrase, four main roads will be built in Yining with 33 local roads to be repaired. The project will also include constructing sanitation facilities, wastewater treatment facilities and improve water supply infrastructure for the city.

Similar developments will be carried out in Alashankou and the Kanas region in the succeeding two phrases.

Xinjiang is the gateway of China to Central Asia. With the historic Silk Road trade route passing through it, it is rich in history and culture. However, the road network in the region, as well as many urban services, remains old and inadequate.

"We aim to strengthen cross-border trade, tourism development, and economic growth in order to raise living standards while protecting the environment of the poorest and most remote parts of the country," Amy Leung, Principal Urban Development Specialist of ADB's East Asia Department, said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 26, 2008)