Textile and garment exports to Central Asia and Russia via ports in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region increased by more than 60 percent in the first five months of 2016 from the same period last year.

China exported 16.57 billion yuan ($2.5 billion) worth of textiles and garments through ports in Xinjiang, according to statistics released by Urumqi Customs.

The data show that 70 percent of exports went to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, with the former ranking first.