The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) recently brought forward ten suggestions to the State Council for promoting the development of China's northwest region.

According to the suggestions, the development of the region should "take as its goal of making the people there well off". It should be turned from concentrating on economic growth alone to promoting an all-round development of mankind, from strengthening local economy to raising people's income as per head and quality of livelihood.

In order to realize these changes in northwest China, experts suggested: the government should speed up education in various forms so as to raise ability of all citizens to take in knowledge; To raise their ability in the creation of science and technology it is necessary to push forward the structural reform of science and technology; to step up the construction of communications facilities so as to offer more convenience for them to have better knowledge and information; To invest in the health work of the people by providing them with a basic medical and welfare service and encourage the ethnic people to practice family planning; To expand the ratio of employment and bring down that of unemployment; To carry out programs of "aid-to-the poor" in both cities and rural areas; To save water by making a reasonable use of water resources thus ensuring a sustainable development; To protect environment by intensifying the ecological construction and to make a strategic adjustment of resources exploitation and industrial development.