The Western China development drive has so far brought about great changes in eco-environment protection, infrastructure construction and even in economic growth, said China's top planner in Beijing on Thursday.
Zeng Peiyan, minister in charge of the State Development Planning Commission, said foreign investors signed more investment agreements in western China than in eastern China in 2001.
He told a press conference that he was looking forward to seeing more foreign investors to invest in western China in the future and contribute more to the western China development drive.
He said that the fixed asset investment in the western part of the country grew 19.3 percent and that in the middle part grew 16.3 percent in 2001, six and three percentage points, respectively, higher than in the eastern part of the country.
The growth of both GDP and fixed assets investment in the western part of the country was above the national average and the people enjoyed a high standards of living over the past two years, Zeng said.
(China Daily March 8, 2002)
