Development of West to Bring Great Changes to Ethnic Minorities

Ma Xiangmei, a woman farmer of Bao'an ethnic group from the northwest, said one of her best wishes was to see improvement in transportation and communication conditions at her home village so that she could arrive in Beijing for the coming sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) within the matter of a day.

Ma, a NPC deputy on the on-going 3rd session of 9th NPC, said it took her five full days to go to Lanzhou, capital of northwest Gansu Province, from her home village of Meipo Village in Jishan County, and to proceed to reach Beijing by plane.

"The means of transportation and communications are vital to economic development in our remote west region," she said.

Ma's wish will come true with the implementation of China's strategy of large-scale development of western China region. Of the strategy, a program is aimed at building highways to link more than 40,000 villages in west China region, including Ma's home village.

Meanwhile, Li Bo, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that west China region hosts a large ethnic population and is home to three of the five ethnic autonomous regions in China. To some extent, the growth of west China means the development of ethnic people-inhabited areas and an opportunity for accelerated development of the west.

China's Ministry of Railways and State Administration of Forestry have publicized their investment blueprint in the western region, including 100 million yuan (12 billion US dollars) to be invested in afforestation program. The investment will lay a solid foundation for economic revitalization in the ethnic-inhabited area.

Today, the provinces, autonomous region and municipality in the west region are adjusting their growth strategy in line with the strategy of great development of west China region.

While Gansu Province is beefing up its infrastructure construction, it will open itself wider still to foreign investors and encourage drawing more funds and technology into the development of emerging industries like new materials and bio- medicines.

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which is adjacent to Russia, and seven other countries in central and south Asia, has decided to do away with its traditional economic pattern encompassing mainly agriculture and livestock as major parts. It aims to take development opportunity to transform itself into an international trade center in west China.

Another NPC Deputy Legqog, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region, said Tibet is going into to foster tourism as a new pillar industry by taking advantages of its unique highland scenery and colorful, vivid local ethnical customs.

According to Chinese economist analysts, China's ethnic groups in the west will gradually lead a modern-day life when the strategy for growth of western region comes into effect.

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