According to the 2006 Blue Book of Regional Development in
China, the twin hubs of Beijing and Tianjin are marred by
surrounding poverty, numbering 2.72 million poor people in Hebei Province. A further problem area comes
from the more than 80,000 square kilometers in this region
suffering from severe ecological deterioration.
Statistics show that in the six cities bordering Beijing and
Tianjin, 3,798 villages in 32 counties are impoverished.
According to the Hebei Provincial Office of Poverty Alleviation
and Development, a new poverty alleviation program is targeting
this area, led by the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty
Alleviation and Development, China Development Bank, and the Hebei
provincial government.
The poverty alleviation program began back on October 9, 2006,
with agreements signed by the organizations listed above. With an
aim to be fully carried out in 2007, the programs will include
loans to aid the rural poor.?
The Leading Group Office and China Development Bank have been
providing incentives for enterprises from more developed areas to
invest in poor areas around Beijing and Tianjin. Successes in this
regard include the 200 million yuan (US$25.8
million)?investment by Beijing Huadu Group toward a
chicken-raising base in Luanping County of Hebei. Beijing Sanyuan
Group is also mulling over larger-scale cooperation in the
area.
A specialized provincial financial cooperation organization will
be created to work along with the Hebei Provincial Office of
Poverty Alleviation and Development. Accompanying the new
organization will be a range of city-level financial organizations
to work with the cities of Zhangjiakou and Chengde; and county
level financial organizations to cater to the counties of Huai'an
and Luanping.
(China.org.cn by Li Xiaohua, March 29, 2007)