Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Coping with the Global Financial Crisis and Maintaining Steady and Properly Rapid Economic Development in the Western Area of China

Guo Ban Fa [2009] No.55

People's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and ministries and commissions of and institutions directly under the State Council,

Since this year, the western area has fully carried out a package of plans and relevant policies and measures to counter global financial crisis according to the unified arrangement of the CPC central committee and the State Council, and achieved positive effects in all respects. The economy has gradually recovered and showed a good momentum. Nevertheless, problems also exist in the western areas, for instance, small economic scale, products there at the bottom of the industrial chain, extensive production mode and poor ability of self-adjustment, and hence the foundation for economic recovery is unstable and unbalanced. To effectively counter global financial crisis and maintain steady and fairly rapid economic growth in the western area is the objective demand for unswervingly promoting the Western Development Campaign and the necessary requirement of carrying out the scientific outlook on development and building a harmonious socialistic society. It is of strategic significance for increasing domestic demand, developing growth potentials, providing more chances and promoting regional coordinated development. Governments and departments in the western areas shall strengthen their confidence and seize the opportunities of increase of domestic demand. They shall pay more attention to structural adjustment, social security and improvement of people’s livelihood, deepening reform and opening up and reduce impacts of global financial crisis to maintain steady and fairly rapid economic growth. With consent of the State Council, the following opinions are given:

1. Enhance infrastructure construction to lay good foundation for future development

More efforts shall be made on railway development. We shall enhance efforts on construction of passenger special lines and regional lines in the western area and the lines for coal transport in Shaanxi, Shanxi and western Inner Mongolia. The reconstruction of the existing lines shall be strengthened and the reconstruction of Shenmu-Shuozhou line and the construction of major lines including Lanzhou-Chongqing line, Nanning-Guangzhou line, Guiyang-Guangzhou line and Taiyuan-Zhongwei-Yinzhou line shall be quickened. The construction of Xi’an-Baoji special line for passenger traffic and the second line of Xi'an-Ankang line shall be started.

The construction of trunk highway and waterway infrastructure shall be speeded up. Efforts shall be made to promote the construction of eight trunk highways in the western area, including Yinchuan-Wuhan highway and Xi’an-Hefei highway. The construction of some sections of major highways shall be started, including the section of Lianyungang-Huoerguosi highway from Anxi to Xingxing Gorge and the section of Kuerle-Xining highway from Dunhuang to Jinshankou. More endeavors shall be made to reconstruct provincial highways in the area, promote the "smooth road project" and "road-access project" in rural areas in the west and focus on building of roads to counties and incorporated villages and of bituminous (cement) pavements in towns. We shall continue the construction of passenger stations, reconstruction of roads, ferries and docks and building of bridges in rural areas, and promote the waterway infrastructure construction of the Yangtze River and coastal ports along the Beibu Gulf.

The construction of airline hubs and feeder airports shall be quickened. We shall advance the reconstruction and expansion project of airline hubs in Xi'an, Chengdu and Chongqing and construction of feeder airports in Aershan, Guyuan and Tulufan, improve functions of feeder airports and start the construction of a batch of feeder airports to promote the aviation development.