It will be the 30th year since China carried out the grand western development program, and new top-level planning is expected to be released soon. Xiao Weiming, an official from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), yesterday disclosed that the NDRC is taking the lead in drafting instruction on pushing the western development drive in the upcoming era.
Draw the roadmap for China’s western development drive in next 10-15 years
The NDRC held a news conference discussing the progress of development boost in China’s western area yesterday. Xiao said that the NDRC initially considered driving the coordinated development in western region by measures in six aspects.
Deepening state-owned enterprise (SOEs) reform is one of the measures. Xiao remarked that the country will reinforce SOEs reform, particularly SOEs mixed-ownership reform, adjust SOEs deployment, and enhance development of civilian-military integration. Supports should be given to promote system innovation and reform pilot in western region.
In addition, Xiao mentioned that the country should support western areas to take part in and integrate in the Belt and Road initiative development, improve open infrastructure construction, and establish some open platforms such as free trade experiment zone, inland economic experimental zone, national-level new area and cross-border economic cooperation zone.
It is learnt by Shanghai Securities News that earlier in July, several ministries and commissions including the NDRC, Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the Ministry of Commerce had joint investigation in China’s western areas, aiming to lay foundation for drafting guidance on strengthening measures of boosting western development in the upcoming new era.
It is reported that the to-be-released new planning will guide the western development word for the next 10 years or till 2035.
Transportation infrastructure is still key task of western development
152 major projects about the western development drive with total investment worth of 3.75 trillion yuan have been newly started since the 18the National Congress of the CPC, according to the NDRC data.
Lately, the central government and ministries frequently said that they would continue to develop the weak links in western areas and advance significant project constriction.
Xiao also added that the NDRC will start construction of a batch of major projects related to transportation, water conservation, energy infrastructure and ecological and environmental protection, and livelihood guaranty by centering on development of the Belt and Road initiative, poverty alleviation program and rural revitalization. This will ensure the growing economic and social development momentum in the western areas.
He also stressed that transportation infrastructure is still the key mission of western development. The government will speed up the transportation network construction which is mainly composed of freeway, railway and highway. It should quicken construction of Chengdu-Guiyang high-speed railway, and start construction of other railway and high-speed railways in western regions as soon as possible. It should build a batch of freeway to expand regional connection, and continue to strengthen highway development in rural areas and airport construction.
“The western regions boast huge investment demand in the future due to lack of transportation infrastructure,” said Huang Yong from Guizhou Academy of Social Sciences.
The planned transportation infrastructure investment in 12 western provinces is over 1.2 trillion yuan in 2018, according to SSN.
Translated by Vanessa Chan
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