An aerial drone photo taken on April 18, 2024 shows a view of the load-transfer yard of Horgos Port in Horgos, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)

Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region saw its gross domestic product (GDP) increase 5.4 percent year on year in the first half of 2024 to reach 921.14 billion yuan (about 129.09 billion U.S. dollars), according to local authorities on Wednesday.

During the January-June period, the added value of the region's primary sector surpassed 58.01 billion yuan, up 5.3 percent year on year, and that of the secondary sector rose 9 percent to over 391.30 billion yuan.

The added value of the region's tertiary sector grew 3 percent to 471.83 billion yuan.

The growth of the secondary sector was the main driving force for the region's economic development during the first six months, said Hao Junqing, an official of the regional bureau of statistics.

The added value of industrial enterprises above a designated size increased 8.3 percent year on year, with the manufacturing of non-metallic mineral products being the leading force driving industrial growth, Hao added.

The region's foreign trade volume achieved year-on-year growth of 48.4 percent in the first half.