A program to boost economic integration was agreed at the 2nd Pan Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Regional Cooperation and Development Forum in Chengdu, capital of the southwestern province of Sichuan, yesterday.

"The PPRD Regional Cooperation and Development Program is a long-term task demanding confidence, courage, patience and effort," said Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang.

The vast region is home to over a third of China’s population, comprising the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao.

According to the two-phase program, the first of its kind since the notion of the PPRD was launched last year, the region will spend the coming five years strengthening infrastructure and constructing an effective mechanism to facilitate regional economic integration.

From 2011 to 2020, its constituents will endeavor to forge an open market characterized by a sound and reasonable industrial layout, aiming to turn the region's "economic powerhouse" vision into a reality.

Facing challenges from the booming Yangtze River Delta and the emerging Bohai Bay economic circle in north China, the Pearl River Delta region aims to become "one of the world's most prosperous and developed hubs."

Although the PPRD accounts for 40 percent of national GDP, obstacles still need to be overcome in order to realize real economic integration in a region that includes drastically different economic and social conditions; Hong Kong's per capita GDP last year was US$24,000, almost 50 times that of Guizhou.

In order to bridge the huge gaps between PPRD members, much emphasis will be put on building a regional transit system within five years to facilitate communication between coastal and less-developed inland provinces.

Efforts will also be made to enhance energy cooperation centered on exploring oil and gas resources in the South China Sea and transferring an additional 10.3-million kilowatts of electricity from western areas to the coast by 2010.

The region also plans to become a participant in the Sino-ASEAN economic cooperation framework in the coming 15 years. "China's accession into the WTO, implementation of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement and establishment of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone have combined to provide PPRD members more momentum to utilize international resources," said Tsang.

"Strengthening comprehensive cooperation is a necessary and common choice for all parties involved in the PPRD framework," said Li Shenglin, vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2005)