The central government has decided to start another 14 key projects
involving a total investment of more than 130 billion yuan (US$15.7
billion) to improve western China's infrastructure and environment.
The projects include the construction of roads, railways, power
stations and urban infrastructure in 12 western provinces and
autonomous regions.
An
official surnamed Wang, at the State Council's Office of the
Leading Group for Western Regional Development, said: "We aim to
make a breakthrough with regard to the infrastructure situation in
the region up to 2010."
Wang said construction has been taking place on 36 key projects in
the western region over the past three years and about 270 billion
yuan (US$32.5 billion) has already been invested.
He
said that, since the central government launched the western
development campaign in 1999, western China has witnessed both
robust economic and social progress but still does not enjoy the
same degree of prosperity as eastern China. Western China covers
some 56 percent of the nation's territory and accounts for 50
percent of its mineral resources.
But Wang added that more domestic and overseas investment have
begun to flow into the western provinces and autonomous regions due
to major progress in developing the region's environment, its
infrastructure and technological development.
In
the past three years, Chinese and overseas investors have put a
combined 100 billion yuan (US$12.08 billion) into the region. More
than 100 of the world's top 500 companies have invested in the
region.
However, restrained by historical, natural and other factors, the
western areas continue to lag far behind their eastern counterparts
in terms of economic and social development.
Therefore, the central government should further strengthen its
support of the western region through advantageous taxation
policies and fiscal transfers, said Wang.
Another source with Wang's office said the government will
continuously implement ecological projects, including the
protection of natural forests, the transformation of farmland to
forests, desert control, and the closure of pastures to renew
grasslands.
China has invested 50 billion yuan (US$6.04 billion) in ecological
construction and environmental protection in its western areas,
achieving marked results in the last three years.
The source said China will speed up such work and ensure a
breakthrough in the western region's environmental protection by
2010.
(China Daily March 25, 2003)