URUMQI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Eight cities in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region signed an agreement to deepen the cooperation in construction of inland ports Saturday.

According to the agreement, the cities including Urumqi, Kashgar, Horgos and Alashankou established a union of international inland ports under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, aiming to deepen the cooperation in policies, logistics, industries and trade.

As an important link of the Silk Road Economic Belt, Xinjiang is speeding up the development of transportation, logistics, finance, and medical services to connect east and west.

Xinjiang aims to build an inland ports network that reaches a larger area with Urumqi as its core, said the city government.