The disparity in development between the eastern and western regions has for a long time been a problem plaguing the economy and social well being of China. Much better coordinated development of the east and the west is now an important task in China’s road towards modernisation.

Early in the fifties, MAO Zedong in his paper “On the ten major relationships” stressed his concern for inequality between coastal and interior industries. He said, “About 70% of all our industry, both light and heavy, is found in the coastal regions. Only 30% is in the interior. This irrational situation is a product of history. The coastal industrial base must be put to full use, but to even out the distribution of industry as it develops, we must strive to promote industry in the interior……”

With reform in its full swing in the eighties, DENG Xiaoping came up with the strategic thinking of “two major concerns” regarding regional development. “One concern” is to quicken the opening up of the coastal areas and let them develop quickly first. The other is to pool more of the country’s efforts to develop the central and western regions when the country has reached a moderate degree of being well off at the end of the century.

JIANG Zemin gave great importance to this subject. On 17 June 1999, he proposed “to seize the historical opportunity of the turn of the century in order to quicken steps for the development of the western region”. In the past 21 years of reform and opening up, development of the coastal region, especially of traditional industries, is approaching saturation. There is need to find new markets. At the same time, opening up of the western region cannot wait any longer.

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At the turn of the century, the Chinese government launched the strategic development of the western region while it continues to open up the coastal region. The west comprises of Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Tibet, a total of 12 regions. The area covers 5.4 million square kilometers which is 56% of the country’s total. It is home to 285 million people or 23% of China’s population. This western region of China enjoys rich mineral resources and a plentiful supply of energy (including hydraulic power), as well as tourism and land resources. The rapid development of the coastal region in the twenty years of reform has however given it the upper hand reaping all kinds of benefits. The wealth gap between the eastern and western regions continues to widen.

Take the 5 provinces of the great northwest for example. They span across 30% of our land, but their GDP is only approximately that of Shanghai. Shaanxi, Gansu etc. are the birthplaces of Chinese civilization and the gateways of the Silk Road. For them, the good old days of glory are gone. Today, the economic ranking of Gansu is the third last among all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. The wide gap in development between the eastern and western regions of China affects national stability and the harmony of the nationalities.

To open up the western region means to encourage domestic and foreign enterprises to participate in infrastructure construction and in developing resources. This will be beneficial to China as it moves into the 21st century.

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Know the western region: Colour the various parts of the western region of China.


Based on information given above, explore the reasons for the policy of opening up the western region.

Read the following remarks on the opening up of the western region and then answer the questions.

The state has been implementing reform for more than twenty years and I have been mayor here for ten years. Finally, emphasis is being directed to the development of the western region. But it is not going to be easy. Although the western region has abundant natural resources, the geographical situation is very complex. The land is mostly precipitous and infertile with few expansive rich plains. Vast deserts are everywhere and a large proportion of the land is barren offering few conditions for survival.

The western region is facing serious threats of soil erosion, desertification, pasture degeneration etc. It is low in its capacity for regeneration. But it is where the poorer population of China lives. The focal point for the opening up of the western region should be the protection and development of its ecological environment. When the ecological environment is improved, the economy will develop. The income of farmers and herdsmen will increase and their livelihood improves.

Development of the western region lags far behind that of the coastal region. But at the same time, this region is blessed with high development potential. In order to develop the western region, we must first of all engineer the development of infrastructure such as the railroads. But first of all, we need to put in place a sound legal system for the protection of investors. Then everyone will know the rules of the game. Investors and transnational companies will be confident in doing business in the western region.

It is a good thing that the economy of the western region is being developed. We are too poor and too poor for too long. We have our strengths in our mineral ores, natural gas, tourism resources and many others. When investors build factories in our region, they bring with them many employment opportunities. In order to facilitate economic development, the government needs to focus on manpower training. In this way, our children’s chances of education will be greatly enhanced. When irrigation is improved and agriculture is run as large enterprises, the income of farmers will greatly increase. Development of the western region brings us all kinds of benefits and no harm.

The western region is blessed with a wealth of languages. Almost all nationalities there have retained their own ethnic languages. The languages fall into many categories. Basically, nationalities of the western region speak their ethnic languages and make Hanyu their second language. The competence of their Hanyu varies. The opening up of the western region will inevitably bring challenges to these ethnic languages. When the Hanyu standard of these people rises, the functions of their verbal and written ethnic languages will see demise. Future generations will gradually lose their ethnic languages.

Based on the statements of the above five persons, identify them. What do they consider to be the pros and cons of the development of the western region? What are the difficulties to be faced?

/ A / B / C / D / E /
Capacity
Evidence
A / B / C / D / E
Strengths of the western region
Difficulties and problems about in developing the western region

For background, view episode 1: “Great Changes are Imminent” in the TV special “Opening up of the western regions”.

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