Substantial steps have been taken to build the China-ASEAN free
trade zone in Yunnan province, on the southwestern border of China,
said sources with the provincial government on Tuesday.
Transport infrastructure, commercial networks, industrial
cooperation, environmental protection and friendly contacts and
exchanges constitute the five priorities in the provincial draft to
speed up the establishment of the free trade zone, according to Niu
Shaorao, deputy governor of the Yunnan province.
At
present, the province is boosting its transport network, including
several domestic expressways, electrified rail routes, and
international air, land and water links with ASEAN countries.
China's section of the Kunming-Bangkok highway is expected to be
completed by 2005, while progress has been made in the endeavor to
build the Pan-Asian Railway, linking Kunming and Bangkok.
The Lancang-Mekong River opened to commercial navigation last year,
which led to a proposed tourism zone along the river.
As
part of the effort to build a good commercial network, Yunnan
province not only explored commercial routes, but also carried out
preferential policies for the flux of capital, information and
human resources.
Meanwhile, to attain sustainable growth, Yunnan province has
strengthened environmental protection through a "grain for green"
program and pollution control and prevention. This will help the
province to turn itself a green channel of the China-ASEAN free
trade zone.
Compared with other provinces, Yunnan province with its 26 ethnic
minorities has very special cultural relations with Laos, Thailand
and Myanmar, which is beneficial to the friendly exchanges in
cultural and economic fields.
"We hope Yunnan can fully tape our geographical and cultural
advantages to serve as an experimental model for the growth of the
China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone," said Niu.
(Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2002)