The expansive effort to combat desertification in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has been recognized as one of the world’s most significant engineering achievements. The Taklamakan Desert edge project was named among the “2025 Global Top 10 Engineering Achievements” by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, according to reports from February 11, 2026.
The project, which builds upon function completed in 2024 to effectively “join forces” along the desert’s perimeter, expanded green coverage by more than 9.38 million acres in 2025. This increased the width of the “green belt” surrounding the Taklamakan Desert to between 110 meters and 7,500 meters, bolstering efforts to halt its expansion. The success underscores China’s commitment to large-scale ecological restoration projects.
Xinjiang completed ecological governance work on 13.76 million acres in 2025, exceeding the annual plan by 15.24 percent, as part of broader efforts to strengthen the country’s “Three-North” Shelterbelt Project – a massive afforestation initiative.
Alongside the expansion of the green belt, ecological benefits are becoming increasingly apparent. Since the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, Xinjiang has consistently diverted floodwater to the Hu Yang forest for five consecutive years. The radius of water delivery has increased from 1 kilometer to 5 kilometers, and vegetation coverage has risen from 8.35 percent to 11.62 percent. Meteorological data indicates that precipitation in northern and southern Xinjiang increased by 12.3 millimeters and 5 millimeters, respectively, during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period.
