Lanzhou New Area launched

China has mapped out a new State-level development zone in the inland Gansu province, as the country eyes its western regions amid a general slowdown in coastal areas.

The Lanzhou New Area is expected to promote bilateral trade with Central and Western Asian countries, officials said.

The area - which is about 30-minute drive from Lanzhou, Gansu's capital - has been sectioned out by the central government in August as the fifth national-level development zone, after similar zones were set up in metropolises such as Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing.