Iliham Sabir, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Urumqi Municipal Committee and Mayor, said on February 24 that Urumqi plans to invest 30 billion yuan this year to implement 160 infrastructure projects, and the construction task is very heavy.

On the same day, the Urumqi Urban Planning, Construction and Management Work Conference was held there. Iliham Sabir said at the meeting that Urumqi, focusing on building a regional comprehensive transportation hub, will accelerate the advancement of a number of key road traffic construction projects such as Metro Line 1 and the extension of the Chengbei Main Road, and promote the expansion of urban roads to the north, west and east; seize the opportunity of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway Second Double-Track Line opening to traffic within 2014, and accelerate the construction of the new high-speed railway passenger station, etc.

This year, Urumqi will also accelerate the implementation of a number of construction and renovation projects for facilities such as electricity, gas, water conservancy, heating, water supply and drainage, and garbage and sewage treatment, improve the city's comprehensive support capacity, and continue to increase the construction of affordable housing and the renovation of shantytowns.

Iliham Sabir said that various construction and renovation projects in Urumqi's old urban areas will be strictly controlled, public activity spaces and public service facilities will be gradually increased, building density will be reduced, the pressure on traffic and social management in the old urban areas will be effectively alleviated, and the city's quality and livability will be continuously improved.

He also said that the policy of "sustainable resource development and sustainable ecological environment" will be adhered to, ecological civilization construction will be placed in a more prominent position, the urban environment will be continuously optimized, and the city's capacity for sustainable development will be enhanced. The achievements in air pollution control will be further consolidated, and with the goal of "keeping the number of days with air quality meeting standards above 300 throughout the year," the joint prevention and control system for air pollution will be improved, pollution control by industrial enterprises will be accelerated, and the shutdown and treatment of power plants and the construction of pollution prevention and control facilities for key enterprises will be advanced.

In addition, Urumqi will also accelerate the construction of the ecological circle around the city and promote the ecological conservation and protection of No. 1 Glacier, etc.

It is reported that Urumqi is making every effort to build itself into the "five major centers" of the Silk Road Economic Belt, namely an important transportation hub center, a trade and logistics center, a financial service center, a cultural and technological center, and a medical service center.

Fan Xinhe, Deputy Mayor of Urumqi, said that in 2013, the city invested 37.3 billion yuan to implement 265 key infrastructure projects, which strongly advanced the process of internationalization of the city.