The Alataw Pass in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region handled a record 150,000 tons of imported oil in August.

The amount is a 35 percent increase over the same period last year and a 10 percent increase over July's figures, according to latest custom statistics.

Economists said the pass is becoming one of the major spots along the Chinese border for oil imports.

The increasing domestic demand of oil in China and the high oilprice of oil internationally are the main reasons for the surging oil imports at the Alataw Pass. Statistics show that most of the oil imported at the pass is from Kazakhstan and Russia.

Located on the China-Kazakhstan border, the Alataw Pass is the only railway and highway port in China's northwestern region. It can handle 10 million tons of cargo a year and was officially approved by the State Council in 1990.

The pass has also been chosen as one hub of the China-Kazakhstan oil pipeline which links Atasu in Kazakhstan with the Alataw Pass.

Construction on the 1,000-kilometer Atasu-Alataw Pass oil pipeline is expected to begin this month and will be completed by the end of 2005. The pipeline will connect oil pipelines in western China to the east.

Source:Xinhua