The British Embassy in China confirmed with the Global Times on Wednesday the British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne's trip to Xinjiang.
He visited Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, during a week-long trip to China on Wednesday, making him the first British minister to visit Xinjiang.
According to a spokesperson from the embassy, Osborne announced a new ambition to make China the UK's second largest trading partner by 2025. He also visited Xinjiang Soong
Ching Ling Football School, and met with Nayim Yasen, director of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang People's Congress.
On Wednesday evening, he was scheduled to travel to Turpan to visit a historical relic, Jiaohe Ancient City, the spokesperson told the Global Times via an e-mail.
"China's emerging regions, like Xinjiang, hold enormous potential in the years ahead," Osborne said in explaining why he chose to visit Xinjiang, according to the UK's government website. "We are building an ever closer relationship with China - it's a partnership that is set to unleash growth and help regions like Xinjiang, where we know investment can make a real difference," he said.
According to the website, Osborne also visited Urumqi's Hualing Industry and Trade Group, which agreed on three property investment projects with a gross value of 1.2 billion pounds ($1.8 billion) in Britain's Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield. China is currently the UK's six largest trading partner, according to the UK's Office for National Statistics.
Osborne was not the first foreign official visiting Xinjiang. Gary Locke, former US ambassador to China, paid a visit there in 2013.
