China News Digest: West on the MoveChina has adopted a strategy of developing its vast western part, making it a key task in the national economy this year and in coming years. Following are major events on the western development this week: Dotcom Company Supports Trek West The website www.21cn.com in south China's Guangdong Province is trying to popularize the Internet by supporting four people in their trek through western China.Lu De, executive deputy general manager of the state-holding website, said people will be able to follow the four explorers along their 35,000-km-long journey by accessing www.21cn.com, and can also chat with the four through visual messaging services. The website's budget for the exploration is 1.2 million yuan (about US$ 144,000), including visual messaging facilities and photographing and videotaping machines to record what the explorers experience along their trip. Improved Environment for Western China Stressed Chinese forestry experts have called for more emphasis on improving the ecology of the country' s vast western region in the wake of seven consecutive sandstorms which hit northern China this year. More than 20 experts from the Chinese Academy of Forestry Science (CAFS), the State Forestry Administration, and the Beijing Forestry University gathered in Beijing this week to discuss how best to prevent future sandstorms. At present, China, especially its western region, is suffering from a deteriorating ecological environment because of excessive logging, grazing, and other misuses of natural resources. Overseas Chinese Students Encouraged to Serve Western Development A group of 22 young Chinese Ph. D. students studying overseas will start four days of talks on cooperation with enterprises in Shaanxi Province, northwest China, on April 29. They are the first group of the 100 overseas Ph.D.'s of Chinese origin scheduled to visit the province and neighboring Gansu Province to scout out possible projects. The purpose of the work is to determine what sort of assistance local enterprises need, help them make development plans, and provide them with technological services, personnel, information and management services. China Opens Website on Western Development China has opened a website containing a store of information on the country's nation-wide campaign to develop the western areas. The website can be accessed at two addresses: www.chinawest.com. cn and www.westchina.com.cn. The website was jointly built by northwest China's Shaanxi Province and other western provinces and cities. So far, the site offers an introduction to western China provinces, municipalities and provides facts and figures on government policies concerning the west development campaign, major events, experts' forum, technical transfer, investment projects, talents exchange programs and e-commerce. Tibet to Build Over 100 Towns Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region plans to build 100 small towns along its major highways to accelerate the region's urbanization. The decision comes at a time when sociologists and reformers are calling for expanded urbanization which they believe will push forward the region's economy. In the past 50 years, Tibet has set up 112 towns. But urbanization at present remains only at 9.8 percent and infrastructure conditions in many towns still lag far behind other regions. East China Schools to Aid Education in Poorer Regions The General Office of the State Council held a forum recently to mobilize schools in eastern China and major cities in western China to aid their counterparts in the poverty-stricken areas of the west. Xu Rongkai, deputy secretary-general of the State Council, said that this aid should include not only materials, but also cadres and teachers. He encouraged students and teachers to establish ties between schools in the cities and those in the poor areas. |
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