A look at Xinjiang

Updated: 2005-07-11 14:32

Great progress was achieved in the development of infrastructure, and the environment for investment was improved significantly. Since 1978, accumulatively 487.975 billion yuan has been invested in the development of infrastructure. As a result, a great number of key infrastructure projects were completed, such as Tarim Agriculture Irrigation and Environment Protection Project, Uruwat Water Pivotal Project, Stage One Project for Development of Ertix River, South Xinjiang Railway Project and its Western Extension Project, North Xinjiang Railway, Alternate Line of Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway, Desert Highway, the Turpan-Urumqi-Dahuangshan Highway, the Urumqi-Kuytun Highway and Optical Cable across Xinjiang. By the end of 2002, the length of railroad lines in service stood at 3010 km, the same as that of the previous year; the road lines opened to traffic reached 59,200 km, increased by 2.6%; the length of civil air lines hit 172,000 km, up 6.3%. In 2002, the freight mileage of all kinds of traffic means in the entire region 75.999 billion tons.km, increased by 6.4%. Of which, 42.53 billion ton km was completed by the railway sector, up 6.6%; 29.797 billion ton km was completed by highway sector, increased by 8.0%; 82 million ton km was completed by civil aviation sector, increased by 30.2%; and 3.95 billion ton km was completed by pipeline sector, increased by 5.6%.In 2002, the passenger miles reached 33.076 person km, up 6.8%, of which 10.6 billion person km was accomplished by railway, increased by 1.8%, 18.560 billion person km was accomplished by road, up 9.0%, while the civil aviation sector achieved 3.916 billion person km, increased by 10.9%.

In 2002, the total volume of postal and telecommunication service reached 9.453 billion yuan, increased by 49.0% over the previous year. The volume of telecommunication business hit 8.790 billion yuan, up 53.7%; the volume of postal service stood at 663 million yuan, increased by 6.4%. By the end of 2002, the penetration rate of fixed telephone had reached 33.8%, while that of mobile phone had reached 15.8%, the number of Internet users stood at 448,000.

In 2002, 9.6794 million domestic came here, increased by 13.3%; and the income from these people reached 8.395 billion yuan, up 16.9%. In that year, Xinjiang hosted 275,400 international tourists, an increase of 0.9%, including 41,600 tourists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, decreased by 23.5%; and the income form international tourism service was 99.42 million USD, increased by 0.9%.

With the economic development, social undertakings of Xinjiang progressed in a compressive way, such as science and technology, education, culture, public health, sports, television and broadcast service, and people’s living standards keep increasing. The scientific and technologic strength has been progressing. By the end of 2002, there had been 387,700 various kinds of professional technical personnel working in Xinjiang, an increase of 0.7% over the previous year. 207 major scientific and technological achievements had been registered, including 9 ones in the field of basic theory, 193 ones of application technology and 5 ones of soft sciences. In 2002 alone, 1239 patents were handled, and the number of authorized patent was 627. In that year, 1350 technology contracts were evaluated, increased by 2.8%, and the business volume reached 1.007 billion yuan, an increase of 22.2%. The educational undertaking is progressing steadily. In 2002, there were 24 common higher institutions of learning in which 132,300 students were studying, up 22.4%. Great progress was achieved in ethnic minority education. The enrolment of ethnic students in different kinds of schools in the entire region accounted for 46.0% the total of the entire region. The cultural undertaking is booming. Radio broadcast service covered 91.6% of the population, and television service covered 91.7% of the population. Public medical conditions were improved greatly; three-level (county, town and village) health care and prevention network was further consolidated. By the end of 2002, there had been 8,627 medical institutions in the entire region, including 1,440 hospitals or health centers, 182 centers for preventing and controlling diseases, 82 mother and child health care institutions. In the entire region, there are 66,800 patient beds, of which 65,000 are in hospitals or health centers. 91,900 medical technical personnel are working in Xinjiang. There are 810 town health centers in which 9,728 doctors or health workers are working.

As a treasure land under development in the west of the motherland, Xinjiang enjoys a bright prospect for development. In the new century, with the implementation of the strategy of west development, the development of Xinjiang is surely to be accelerated greatly to narrow the gap between Xinjiang and inland provinces and regions and accomplish the common prosperity and common progress of all ethnic groups. In recent years, the Central Party Committee and Central Government have given more support to Xinjiang in investment and policy. A number of major projects such as Comprehensive Development of Tarim River Vally and West-East Gas Transmission will effectively promote industrial upgrading of Xinjiang, bring along rapid growth of investment and give great impetus to economic and social development of Xinjiang.

The next 5—10 year is a new development stage for us, in this period we shall effectively carry out the Strategy of West Development, build the well-off society in an overall way, and speed up the socialist modernization drive. To do this, we must size opportunity, deepen reforms and open our gate wider to the outside world to continually advance overall economic strength and increase people’s living standards. For the first three years, we plan to make our GDP grow 8% annually, and the growth rate for GDP in the rest seven years will be increased to over 10%. By 2010, the GDP in 2000 will have been doubled, the general public will have lived a better life, and the socialist market system will have become perfect. To attain this goal, we shall keep on implementing the market-oriented Strategy of competitive edge resources development, the Strategy of developing Xinjiang through science, technology and education, and the Strategy of sustainable development. Also, we shall work to boost domestic demand, strengthen the development of infrastructure facility and make efforts to foster new economic growth point. With richening people and making Xinjiang economically strong as our objective, we shall effectively push forward the shift in economic system and economic growth pattern, and enhance economic growth quality and efficiency; with reform and opening up to the outside as the impetus, we shall make pillar industries strong and develop economies with local characteristics by vigorously adjusting and optimizing industrial structure and strengthening agriculture as the foundation of the economy. In addition, we shall determine priority and give support to the strong and promote the balanced development of regional economies, make more efforts to protect eco-environment so as to achieve the sustainable development of population, resources, environment and society. We must strengthen the development of advanced socialist culture and ideology, increase the quality of the people and promote social progress in a comprehensive way.

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