Promoting balanced regional development is one of the pillars of
China's
11th Five-Year Development Guidelines (2006-2010) currently
being deliberated by lawmakers attending the Fourth
Plenary Session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC)
that began on March 5 in Beijing.
East China leads the way in terms of national development. Its
advantageous location and preferential policies have made it the
most prosperous part of China since reform and opening up policies
were implemented in 1979. Over the years, other areas were also
arrowed for development. Programs to kick-start development in the
western regions were initiated in 1999. Likewise the campaign to
rejuvenate the northeast was launched in 2003. This has left the
central regions a little behind.
The central China region, including
Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Shanxi provinces, is home
to Chinese civilization, and has one quarter of the country's
population.
"Achieving a coordinated and balanced development on a regional
basis is an important strategy for the central government, while an
emphasis on developing the central region presents an opportunity
for Hunan to boost efforts in this respect," Chen Shuhong, director
of Hunan Provincial Development and Reform Commission told
china.org.cn on the sidelines of the NPC session.
Hunan, a province with a population of 67 million, reported a
gross domestic product (GDP) of 647.3 billion yuan (US$80.54
billion) last year, ranking it 13th among 31 provinces,
municipalities and autonomous regions (excluding Hong Kong, Macau
and Taiwan).
"Hunan's development outline was designed according to local
conditions and in consultation with the National Development and
Reform Commission. It forms a part of the 11th Five-Year
Development Guidelines," Chen said.
Table: Main targets set by Hunan in its 11th Five-Year
Development Guidelines
|
Annual GDP Growth Rate
|
Over 10%
|
|
GDP in 2010
|
Over 1 trillion yuan (US$124.4 billion)
|
|
Energy consumption per 10,000 yuan GDP
|
Lower 20%
|
|
Annual growth rate of disposable income of urban residents
|
7%
|
|
Annual growth rate of disposable income of farmers
|
6 %
|
|
Foreign investment to be utilized over the next five years
|
US$13 billion
|
?Like other central China provinces, industrialization is
Hunan's main target, but priority will be given to certain local
industrial strengths.
Hunan's 10 pillar industries include modern equipment
manufacturing, steel, information technology, biotech,
pharmaceuticals, new material, food processing, papermaking and
chemicals manufacturing. In addition, the tourism and cultural
industries are two of the province's more important industries to
be promoted.
Huge investments in infrastructure construction will continue
because the inland region is still lacking in key infrastructure
including electricity, water and roads.
"To lay a solid foundation for future development, our total
infrastructure investment over the next five years might amount to
1.65 trillion yuan (US$205.3 billion) or even more," Chen said.
Incidentally, this figure is twice that of accumulated fixed assets
investments made during the past five years.
To raise enough funds, Chen noted that the province will work
towards gaining more fiscal support from the central government,
banks, and domestic and foreign private investors.
Over the last five years, the province managed to attract a
total of US$8.3 billion in foreign investment and 177.8 billion
yuan (US$22.1 billion) in domestic funds. However, Chen said that
the province hopes to welcome more transnational companies (TNCs)
and the larger, better known domestic enterprises.
He added that local enterprises will be encouraged to
participate in the economic integration of the pan-Pearl River and
pan-Yangtze River Deltas.
"Such an integration would bring increased business
opportunities, and enhance competition," he said.
In particular, Hunan hopes to ride on the back of adjoining
Guangdong Province to attract more export-oriented processing
projects.
"Hunan will implement an all-around opening up policy to
accelerate its development and maintain contact with the country's
major economic zone in a bid to narrow the development gap," Chen
added.
Backgrounder:
1980s???????
The Chinese government set up four special economic zones:
Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou and Xiamen in 1980, and opened up 14
coastal cities in 1984 to the international market. East China has
led the country in terms of development since then.
June 1999
The Chinese government announced a campaign to develop
west China regions including Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi,
Gansu, Qinghai provinces, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region and Tibet Autonomous Region. Priority was
given to infrastructure construction, resource exploitation and
environment protection.
August 2003
The Chinese central government launched a program to rejuvenate
northeast China, previously a heavy industrial belt comprising
Liaoning, Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces.
(China.org.cn by staff reporter Tang Fuchun, March 7, 2006)
