Land checkpoints on the border of China and Kazakhstan will for the first time unify working hours on November 15 to expedite customs clearance procedures, according to the Bureau of Communications of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China.

In accordance with a resolution adopted at the second session of the Exit-Entry Port and Customs Cooperation Subcommittee of Sino-Kazakh Cooperation Committee, the revised unified working time for Chinese land checkpoints will be 10:30 AM through to 2:00 PM, Beijing time, for morning work, and 3 PM through to 7 PM, Beijing time, for afternoon work.

Due to a time difference of two hours, residents in Xinjiang, which is situated west of Beijing, usually begin work at 10 AM, two hours later than their counterparts in Beijing.

The revised unified working time for Kazakh land checkpoints will start from 8:30 AM through to 12:00 AM, Astana time, and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Astana time, because according to coordinated universal time (UTC), Beijing is two hours ahead of Astana, capital of Kazakhstan.

(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2005)