Rio Tinto in talks with China's Xinjiang

Global mining giant Rio Tinto is in talks with China's resources-rich Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for mining cooperation on "advantaged resources," according to an announcement on Friday.

Rio Tinto chief executive officer Tom Albanese met Xinjiang's top official, Zhang Chunxian, on Thursday in the regional capital of Urumqi. A government statement quoted Albanese saying that Xinjiang is full of opportunities and Rio Tinto is willing to enter into win-win cooperation.

Details on potential cooperation are not immediately known.

However, Zhang, secretary of the Xinjiang committee of the Communist Party of China, has committed to Albanese that there is "no change" in the government's policy in attracting foreign investment.

"Xinjiang is willing to cooperate with the world's leading companies to concentrate advanced business ideas and technologies here," Zhang said. "Whatever situations we face, there is no change in the 'opening-up' attitude."

Zhang's pledge came after a foiled plane hijacking in Xinjiang last week caused widespread concerns. Six hijackers were man-handled by the crew and passengers, and the plane, carrying 100 people, safely landed at Hotan Airport, where it took off.

On Thursday, Xinjiang's airport operator and airlines said security measures have been strengthened and officials maintained that the incident will not affect Xinjiang's role as a regional air traffic hub.

Xinjiang, which covers one-sixth of China's land mass, holds abundant reserves of coal, oil and gas. It is also strategically located in the heartland of Euroasia, bordering eight countries including Russia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and four central Asian states.

China has been pushing for the region's development as economic hub in recent years.

Government officials said executives of U.S.-based Peabody Energy visited Xinjiang last month to advance an open-pit coal mine project that is expected to produce 50 million tonnes of coal every year. The contract for the joint project was inked in July last year.

Xinjiang's development is not limited to mining. German carmaker Volkswagen AG's joint venture in China -- Shanghai Volkswagen -- laid the foundation for its new factory in Urumqi on May 28.

The plant is expected to become operational in 2014 and have an annual production of 50,000 units. The factory's first phase of construction will cost 2 billion yuan (316 million U.S. dollars), according to the company.