Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, October 29, 2002
Vice-Premier Eyes Western Development
Vice-Premier Li Lanqing urged the effective use of technology and administrative reforms to boost social and economic development in western China, while touring Sichuan province in the country's southwest.
Vice-Premier Li Lanqing urged the effective use of technology and administrative reforms to boost social and economic development in western China, while touring Sichuan province in the country's southwest.
Li visited technology development zones in Mianyang and Chengdu, plus research institutes, colleges and businesses from Oct. 26-28. The hi-tech industry had become a beacon in the overall economy of Sichuan province, he said.
The development of western China called for improved technology rather than conventional modes, the vice-premier said. Local governments should encourage companies to aim for both domestic and overseas markets and actively compete against their foreign counterparts.
As an important part of revamping government administration, fiscal reform should help establish the concept of a public financial system, Li said. It was necessary to standardize government budgetary management to cover such expenditure as education, scientific research, social welfare and public security.
The development of the hi-tech industry relied on support from colleges and institutes, he said. Local governments should make efforts to adjust and optimize higher education resources and provide preferential policies for universities to improve their research and education capabilities.