Zhu's call came during his inspection tour to Sichuan Province, southwest China, from June 8 to 12.

Sichuan, situated in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, started in 1998 a pilot project aimed to protect natural forest and return farmland to vegetation. The project has resulted in the recovery of vegetation and curbed the trend of soil erosion.

In high spirit, Zhu pointed out that ecological protection should be further emphasized and the government's preferential policy in this regard be strictly implemented.

He said technical support should be provided to farmers in afforestation and efforts are needed to help farmers to solve the current problems and become rich in the long run after the return of their farmland to vegetation.

Presently, the domestic supply of both agricultural and industrial products outweighs the general demand in China, and this creates an unprecedented condition which enable the Chinese people to improve the ecological environment, said the premier.

He suggested that in places with abundant rainfall, like the southern part of the country, efforts should be made to speed up returning farmland to vegetation.

After inspecting the minority nationality areas in Sichuan, Zhu pointed out that to improve the living standards of the ethnic minority people is the main objective of the western development strategy.

He said efforts should be made to return more farmland to vegetation, which is an effective measure to increase the farmers' income.

Construction of infrastructure facilities, especially railways, highways, rural electricity grids and telecommunication network, is necessary and should be sped up.

The premier said businesses with regional characteristics, such as tourism and related service industries, should be greatly encouraged and poverty-relief and educational assistance reinforced to accelerate development in these localities.

Zhu also emphasized unity among the minority nationalities, saying this is not only the common aspiration of the people throughout the country, but also a precondition for the development of ethnic minority regions.

He expressed the belief that the government's western development strategy has created an unprecedented opportunity for Sichuan, a province rich in tourist resources.

While continuing the reform of state-owned enterprises and promoting a kind of ecological agriculture, Sichuan should pay attention to developing its tourist industry, he said.

(Xinhua 06/13/2001)