Kanas has the required natural assets for a ski resort, but has suffered from political unrest.

Plans announced last fall by the Chinese government appear to be going forward to build the biggest ski resort in Asia.

In Xinjiang, one of China’s most westerly provinces, the Kanas International Ski Resort will be built over a 10-year period at a cost of approximately USD $730 million (€510m) on a site with an average altitude of about 2,000m in an area normally covered by snow from November to May.

Construction is supposed to start this year, and the resort would include an artificial lake, golf course, hotels and villas, according to reports.

The development deal reportedly made with the Hong Kong-listed Mongolia Energy Corp is intended to boost tourism in the remote Kanas area which has been damaged by political unrest.

Xinjiang is an autonomous region which has political tensions between the native Uighur population and the Han Chinese people. This flared up in to riots last summer in which 200 people died and subsequently nine people have been executed. Texting was banned in the area in the aftermath of the riots and has only recently been permitted again.

Kuresh Mahsut, the vice chairman of the regional government, has said that rioting in the region has, “seriously affected Xinjiang’s tourism industry,” with most tourists canceling plans to visit the region.

Currently the region is being buffeted by blizzards and heavy snow falls leaving several dead and the Chinese Red Cross distributing quilts and tents.

• Ski China: Find more Chinese ski news here
• Ski Resorts: Click here for ski resort news from all over the world
• New Projects: Follow news about new projects in the ski world here