Participants in the 2026 Influencers’ Xinjiang Seasons programme pose for a group photo 

Participants from nine countries gathered in Urumqi on 7 May for the 2026 Influencers’ Xinjiang Seasons programme, a 10-day immersion into the infrastructure, governance and daily life of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The delegation includes representatives from the US, the UK, Russia, Brazil, Ecuador, Thailand, Rwanda, Pakistan and France. 

Co-hosted by Xinjiang Today Media Hub and Tianshan Net, the initiative offers participants a closer look at the region's development efforts. Day one included two stops: the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the world's longest expressway tunnel, and the People's Congress of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 

Certified by Guinness World Records at 22.13 km, the tunnel lies nearly 3,000 metres above sea level, where temperatures can fall to -42°C. Engineers navigated 16 major geological fault zones beneath rock overburden reaching 1,112 metres and constructed a ventilation shaft 706 metres deep. 

But setting a new record was not the primary motivation behind the project. It was driven by the needs of local residents, who previously had to travel seven hours along treacherous mountain roads to reach the nearest market. The tunnel has reduced the journey to about 20 minutes. In addition, the construction phase created 1,582 jobs, while operations sustain another 1,210, with more than 80 percent of the positions filled by ethnic minority groups. 

During an afternoon visit to the People's Congress, participants learned how the body enacts statutes and oversees development planning. The concept of ethnic unity here is often illustrated through the image of pomegranate seeds clustered together - distinct yet inseparable. 

For Africa, the lesson from local development efforts was clear: infrastructure improves connectivity, connectivity creates economic opportunities, and effective governance helps to ensure those benefits reach local communities. Although Xinjiang’s scale is unique, the approach echoes major African corridor projects such as the Lobito Corridor, the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway and the Standard Gauge Railway in East Africa.