Conference Highlights Tech as Key to Western AreasScientists have been called on to contribute more to the development of the western areas by achieving new technological breakthroughs.The economy in China's western areas has been greatly improved over the past 20 years and the development of some powerful State-owned firms and agriculture, energy and raw material industries have been achieved, said Li Zibin, vice-minister of State Development Planning Commission and deputy-director of the State Council's Office for Western Areas Development. Li made the remarks at an academic symposium held in Xi'an Sunday by the Chinese Association for Science and Technology. International business co-operation has also been promoted since capital cities and major cities in China's landlocked West were opened to the outside world, said Li. The symposium, with the theme of "injecting technological catalyst for the West's sustainable development," attracted more than 4,000 scientists, professors and researchers from across the country. High-level academic exchanges are an active way to advance scientific and technological innovation, Vice-Premier Li Lanqing said in his congratulatory letter to the symposium. He asked the symposium's participants to work out ideas for the campaign of western development and the whole country's sustainable development. Vice-Minister of Communications Zhang Chuanxian said the basic infrastructure in the western areas will focus on highways and expressways, as road transportation constitutes 90 per cent of the transport systems in western areas. Transportation bottlenecks are a major hindrance to the economic development in undeveloped western areas, said Zhang. In the next 10 years, a total of 350,000 kilometres of new roads will zigzag across west China. The roads will require an investment of as much as 800 billion yuan (US$96 billion). The new transportation networks include cross-provincial express ways, cross-city highways and cross-town or village roads, said Zhang. Zhou Guangzhao, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress and president of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, said that western China's development must be based on ecological conservation. He called on his association to help link research institutes nationwide with west China's economic sectors, to accelerate the application of new technologies in western areas. The State will give priority financial support to western areas for eco-system and other important technological research programme, said Zhou. |
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