As regional conflicts disrupt global supplies, China's coal-based energy sector in Xinjiang is experiencing significant growth in large-scale, modern coal-chemical production. The region is rapidly developing a vast industrial ecosystem.

As the war in Iran disrupts global oil and chemical supplies, China’s coal-heavy energy sector is seizing an unprecedented opportunity. Dannie Peng visits the Changji Hui autonomous prefecture in Xinjiang – one of the country’s four major bases for large-scale, modern coal-chemical production – to see first-hand how a vast industrial ecosystem is rapidly taking shape on the ground. A four-hour drive northeast of Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang, leads to a colossal open-pit mine. There,....