Chinese President Jiang Zemin has called for greater efforts to
deepen reform, expand the opening to the outside world and find a
new road of development for the west of the country.
He
urged innovative thinking, methods and systems to suit the
development of the socialist market economy and the new situation
China faces after accession to the World Trade Organization
(WTO).
Jiang, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
Central Committee, made the remarks while presiding over a workshop
on the development of west China, held in Chongqing during May
23-24. Leading officials from six provincial administrative areas
in the western region attended the meeting.
The key to resolving all the problems encountered in the
development of the western region is to speed up development, Jiang
told the participants.
Efforts should be made to strive for sustainable social and
economic development by correctly dealing with the relationship
between economic construction and saving resources, environmental
protection, social progress and overall human development.
On
April 1, Jiang also presided over a similar workshop in Xi'an, the
capital of Shaanxi Province, which was attended by leading
officials from five provinces and autonomous regions from the
northwest and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Both meetings are aimed at reviewing experiences gained from
carrying out the western development strategy, and fixing the
direction for the next stage of the work.
Jiang stressed that hastening the development of productive force
in the western region depends on rational readjustment of the
productive relations, deep-going reforms and innovation of the
system.
Party committees and governments at all levels in west China should
strive to improve the local investment environment, further
transform their administrative functions, be good at dealing with
economic affairs by economic and legal means, strengthen and
improve macro-economic control, and give full play to the
fundamental role of the market in resource allocation.
The legitimate rights and benefits of enterprises and investors
must be protected and a social environment for fair competition
with good credit be created.
At
the same time, the reform and reorganization of state-owned
enterprises must be stepped up according to the requirements for
the establishment of a modern corporate system, while efforts are
needed to promote the development of the private sector.
Work must be done to make good use of domestic and foreign markets
and domestic and foreign resources to develop an economy that opens
to the outside world in an all-round manner.
Jiang stressed that top priority should always be given to
maintaining stability as the premise for propelling reforms and
speeding up development.
The development of west China requires efforts to serve the people
heart and soul, continuously improve the livelihood of the people
in poverty-stricken, ethnic minority and border areas, while
ensuring the social security for workers and staff of state-owned
enterprises in west China.
To
strengthen the rule of law in the western region, China should
learn from the efforts of foreign countries in their own
underdeveloped areas, Jiang suggested.
Jiang put special emphasis on people with expertise in developing
the west, saying it is important to boost personnel training so as
to improve the quality of professionals in the west.
The next five to 10 years are a key period for carrying out the
strategy to develop the western region. The plans and policies of
the central government must be carried out consciously, and all
departments of the central government must support to local
governments, he stressed.
(China
Daily May 25, 2002)