URUMQI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Three comprehensive bonded zones, located in Alataw Pass, Kashgar and Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, saw their foreign trade volume rising more than 40 percent year on year in January.

According to Urumqi Customs, the bonded zones recorded a total of 34,700 tonnes of imports and exports, with a foreign trade volume of 30 million U.S. dollars, up 155.15 percent and 42.86 percent respectively from the same period in 2018.

The comprehensive bonded zones are important platforms to promote industrial transfer and the development of an open economy.

The bonded zones in Xinjiang saw a total of 194,700 tonnes of imports and exports, with a trade volume of 261 million U.S. dollars in 2018, a year-on-year growth of 14.8 percent and 39.57 percent respectively.

The Alataw Pass bonded zone mainly focuses on grain and oil, noodles, forage processing and bonded logistics supervision.

The Kashgar bonded zone, located in the southern part of Xinjiang, is key to the endeavor of building Xinjiang into a core area on the Silk Road Economic Belt.

The Urumqi comprehensive bonded zone boasts the best performance in terms of trade among the three bonded zones.