The Alataw Pass in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region handled a record 5.08 million tons of cargo in the first eight months of this year, up 9.2 percent over the same period last year, according to latest custom statistics.

The import and export volume at the pass also totaled a record high of 1.8 billion yuan in the period, up 18.6 percent on a year-on-year base.

A total of 4.54 million tons of cargo were imported through the pass, up 7.7 percent year on year, and 540,000 tons were exported, a year-on-year increase of 24.2 percent.

Major imports from the pass were oil products, steel products and scrap metals, while the major exports are coke and garments.

The Alataw Pass, on the China-Kazakhstan border, is the westernmost point of the Eurasia Continental Railway Bridge in China. The pass, the largest railway hub in northwestern China, can handle 10 million tons of cargo a year.