Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, March 08, 2003
Li Peng Calls for Stepping up Development of West China
Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), said Friday that the western region of China should take their own advantages to accelerate economic and social development.
Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), said Friday that the western region of China should take their own advantages to accelerate economic and social development.
Joining in a panel discussion of deputies from southwest China's Sichuan Province to the 10th NPC First Session, Li said that in the last five years, Sichuan scored an average annual economic growth faster than the national average, and some of its major industries such as manufacturing and tourism developed rapidly.
However, he said, economic development in different regions of the populous agricultural province is unbalanced, with many people still living under the poverty line.
Li called for more efforts and financial input to develop agricultural science and technology, domestic livestock breeding, farm produce processing, and name brands of local agricultural products.
The western region of China has abundant labor resources and farmers should be encouraged to work in the eastern area and cities, so that they can invest their income in reproduction, said Li.
Li also called for accelerating the development of small towns and township enterprises, which he said is an important way for transferring surplus rural labor, increasing farmer's income and solving problems related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers.
The high-tech industry has promising industry, the western region, especially large cities there, should develop high-tech industries such as biomedicine and information technology according to their own conditions.