Industrial city and capital of Qinghai province, northwest China, on the Xining River; population (2000) 854,500. Products include machinery, vehicles, textiles, metals, and processed foods. For centuries Xining was a major trading centre on the caravan route to Tibet, and it is now the starting point for the modern rail and road routes into the Tibetan Plateau.
Red and white are the traditional colours of South East Asia. The blue canton recalls the British Empire and represents unity. Yellow is the colour of the Sultans of Malaysia. Effective date: 16 September 1963.