During the ongoing session of the Ninth National People's Congress,
Abulait Abudurexit, chairman of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,
has been a popular figure among the press. On March 8, Abudurexit
gave a small press conference in the office of the Xinjiang
regional government in Beijing, briefing reporters on the economic
development and social stability in Xinjiang, the northeast area of
China that borders Mongolia in the northeast; Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kirghiszstan, and Tadzhikistan in the west; and Afghanistan,
Pakistan, and India in the southwest. The second in a two-part
series, Abudrexit focuses on the development of West China.
West Development
The central government has increased investment in western
regions, especially in the field of infrastructure, said
Abulait Abudurexit, chairman of
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region who cited as an example a
special fund of over 7 million yuan (US$845,411) appropriated for
highway construction and ecological project construction in the
Tarim River area.
"The strategy of developing west China has brought tremendous
changes to Xinjiang," Abudurexit said.
Xinjiang -- the northwest region of China that covers one-sixth of
the country's total area -- is rich in natural resources and has
advantages in agricultural and pastoral industries. How to turn the
advantages into the distinctive economy with local
characteristics?
Agriculture should be the leading factor, Abudurexit said.
"We should explore ways to achieve high quality at low cost in the
development of the main crops of the area. Some products, like
carrots and tomatoes, have great potential for local economic
development."
Abudurexit stressed that Xinjiang should also explore ways to
create distinctive industries with local characteristics. "The
fundamental direction forward for the area is through giving play
to its advantages and developing a distinctive economic structure
with local characteristics."
Inter-regional Cooperation
The state's strategy of developing the west has enhanced the
cooperation between Xinjiang and other provinces and cities to an
unprecedented degree, Abudurexit added.
Abudurexit said commercial activity between Hong Kong and Xinjiang
has been very active recently, with merchants from Hong Kong
gradually increasing their investment in Xinjiang. To date, the
total overseas investment in Xinjiang stands at US$407 million of
which half is from Hong Kong. Last year the foreign-trade turnover
of the region hit US$1.77 billion, of which the trade volume with
Hong Kong was US$150 million. In addition, since the campaign of
developing the west was launched, Xinjiang has been visited
frequently by inspection teams composed of Hong Kong merchants,
whose investment interests focus on such industries as tourism and
service.
Beginning with the trade of household wares before 1949, and later
with cotton, materials and industrial products, the cooperation
between Xinjiang and Shanghai has a long history, and the scale of
the cooperation is becoming even greater. The project to transport
gas from the west to the east has further strengthened their
cooperation in many fields including economy and trade. The recent
cooperative projects between Xinjiang and Shanghai include: An
inspection tour of Xinjiang by the delegation composed of Shanghai
enterprisers, exchanging and training of personnel, technological
cooperation among processing corporations.
"Developing the west has brought in unprecedented opportunities for
Xinjiang. Today's Xinjiang is undergoing amazing changes in many
fields including in transportation, energy, communication and new
technologies," said Abudurexit.
Challenges and Opportunities After WTO Entry
Abudurexit described China's entry into the World Trade
Organization as essential for opening still wider, improving market
economy and helping China get involved in economic activities of
all fields. He pointed out the following three main challenges
facing Xinjiang:
- Need for higher competitiveness and cost-effectiveness in local
enterprises.
- Need for adjustment of government functions in regard to law
and market regulation according to WTO rules.
- Need for more talented people and qualified personnel.
"It is the most importance task for Xinjiang to transform its
resource advantages into economic advantages. The only way to
enhance market competitive edge is to accelerate the development of
agriculture and industry," Abudurexit said.
Goals Xinjiang has set for the coming four years include: Larger
input in infrastructure construction, exploitation of oil and
natural gas recourses, development of agriculture with Xinjiang
characteristics, and promotion of science and education.
Relations With Neighboring Countries:
As
everyone in China knows, Xinjiang borders on Kazakhstan. Speaking
of the relationship between Xinjiang and Kazakhstan, Abulait
Abudurexit said, Kazakhstan is the major trade partner of Xinjiang.
Among the sixteen open ports of Xinjiang, Kazakhstan accounts for
six. The trade value with Kazakhstan reached US$1.1billon last
year.
A
Kazak
population of more than one million people live in Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region. They speak the same language as the people of
Kazakhstan. The exchanges and trade cooperation between the two
regions is therefore friendly and for the long term. Ili and Lisi
rivers are shared by Xinjiang and Kazakhstan. With the development
of the economy, the rational exploitation and utilization of these
two rivers by Xinjiang will further improve the ecologic
environment along the two rivers and bring benefits to people live
downstream.
Speaking of the region's relations with middle-Asian countries,
Abulait Abudurexit said, Xinjiang keeps good-neighborly and
friendly relations with all neighboring countries. He also said
that exchanges among the member countries of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be conducive to fighting
against terrorism and to promoting economic development as well
social stability.
"We believe, this is in line with the basic interest of every
country," said Abudurexit.
(By Yan Xinxia, china.org.cn staff reporter, March 13, 2002)