Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a strategic onshore oil production base in northwest China, turned out 24.1 million tons of crude oil in 2005, 1.5 million tons over the previous year.

Geological surveys show Xinjiang's oil and natural gas deposits stand at an equivalent of 30 billion tons of oil, accounting for a quarter of the nation's total.

With more deposits proven, the region's crude oil output has been increasing by an average 1.14 million tons annually since 1990 and has thus far topped all Chinese localities for 15 years running.

Last year, Xinjiang also produced 10.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas, one fifth of the nation's total.

Its proven geological gas reserves stood at 1.06 trillion cubic meters at the end of 2004.

Xinjiang, covering 1.6 million square kilometers, is the largest provincial-level region in China by territory.

(Xinhua News Agency January 4, 2006)