China's Wu Bangguo inspects Gansu 9-14 Nov

Lanzhou, 14 Nov (Xinhua) -The falling of auspicious snow in succession has covered the old Silk Road in white snow. Snow-white mountains have made Gansu especially beautiful.

From 9 to 14 November 2009,Wu Bangguo, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee and chairman of the National People's Congress [NPC] Standing Committee, conducted investigations and studies in Gansu. He travelled more than 1,500 kilometres from the depth of the great desert to the loess plateau and from the barren beaches of the Gobi Desert to the banks of the Yellow River, passing through the Gansu Corridor and crossing the eastern and western parts of Gansu to visit enterprises, scientific research institutes, and farming households and to cordially call on the basic-level cadres and the masses fighting on the production and scientific research front line by braving very cold weather in order to discuss with them the plan for sustained development.

During his investigations and studies, Wu Bangguo repeatedly stressed: We must take the scientific development concept as guidance, seriously implement the central authorities' policies and strategic arrangements, appropriately handle the relations between the immediate interests and the long-term interests, between the interests of the parts and the whole, and between guaranteeing growth and structural adjustment and sustained development, while maintaining a steady and faster pace of economic development, strive to do a good job in adjusting the structure and improving the people's livelihood, transform pressure into a motive force, change challenges into opportunities, work hard to blaze a new road of innovation and development for the underdeveloped areas in the western region, and develop the economy in a better and faster way.

Nonferrous metal, metallurgical, and petrochemical industries are Gangu's traditional leading superior industries. The Jiuquan Iron and Steel Group Company, the Jinchuan Group Company, the Lanzhou Petrochemical Company, and other large state-owned enterprises, which have scores of years of development history, have important influence in the whole country. They have freed themselves from difficulties after undergoing reforms, reorganization, and transformation in the past few years. Great changes have taken place, but the international financial crisis has affected these enterprises to a varying degree. How to optimize and upgrade these enterprises in the crisis in order to strengthen their competitive capacity and ability to resist risks is a problem of great concern to Wu Bangguo.

He made a special trip to visit these enterprises to study in detail their production and operational condition. He praised the measures they had adopted to cope with the impacts, to adjust the structure of products, and to open up new markets. Wu Bangguo pointed out: Judging from the situation in the whole country, the problem of excessive production capacity exists in nonferrous metal, metallurgical, and petrochemical enterprises. Under this large background, we must concentrate on industrial optimization and upgrading. We must aim at the advanced level of similar enterprises in the world, take the initiative to launch a new round of technical transformation with energy-saving and lowering consumption as the core, vigorously develop a recycling economy, strengthen the comprehensive utilization of resources, reduce environmental pollution, and increase economic results. We must make use of state-owned enterprises' advantages in trained personnel, technology, and management, strengthen technological innovation, accelerate the development of sophisticated products, and upgrade products so as to meet the demand of the market in a better way.

Attaching great importance to the development of clean energy and new energy, the NPC Standing Committee has enacted the law on renewable energy, the law on promoting a recycling economy, and other relevant laws. In August this year, the NPC Standing Committee made the decision on coping with climate change, thus providing a powerful legal guarantee for the development of clean energy. Because of its special geographical position, the Gansu Corridor has rich wind-energy and solar-energy resources. Moreover, because this region is vast and is sparsely populated, its condition for developing new energy is richly endowed by nature. This region is the country's first 10-million-kilowatt wind-electricity-generating base and is also the place where the whole country's first 10-megawatt solar energy electricity-generating demonstration project is located. Gansu is also our country's important nuclear industry production and scientific research base. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to the development of nuclear power.

Wu Bangguo is very concerned about the development of clean energy industries in Gansu. On the snow-covered Gobi Desert, giant wind-driven electricity generators are turning in the wind, transforming wind energy into electric energy, which is transmitted to various areas through the power network. After treading the accumulated snow, Wu Bangguo arrived at the Jieyuan wind electricity field in Yumen and inquired in detail about power generation, the price of electricity on the network, and the construction of the Tiaofeng power station. He discussed with the personnel there the issues that must be urgently solved in developing wind-generated electricity. Wu Bangguo was very happy when he learned that this wind-electricity field has already installed more than 230 wind-driven electricity generators with an installed capacity of 210,000 kilowatts. He hoped the projects would be completed and put into operation as soon as possible so as to bring benefit to the people.

Gansu is our country's important wind-electricity equipment manufacturing base. The Jiuquan Fengguang Electric Equipment Manufacturing Industrial Park focuses on six types of projects in the field of wind-driven electricity and has signed cooperation contracts with 19 enterprises. Eight enterprises have been completed and put into production. It is expected that their income from the sale of equipment this year will reach 4 billion yuan. Wu Bangguo asked the technicians of the Huarui Wind-Driven Electricity Science and Technology Company Limited about the production, development, and marketing of the company's 1.5-megawatt, 3-megawatt, and 5-megawatt wind-driven electricity generating units. In front of giant blades produced by the Jiuquan Wind-Driven Generator Blade Company Limited of Zhongcai Science and Technology Corporation, he inquired in detail about product designing, product materials, and product life span. He also made a special trip to the Zhongguo Nuclear Group Company 404, which is situated deep in the Gobi Desert, to pay high tribute to the nuclear industry scientific research personnel, cadres, and workers who have been working there for a long time.

Wu Gangguo pointed out: The development of wind energy, solar energy, nuclear power, and other clean energy and new energy resources will become a new growth points for economic development, is the principal direction for energy development, and is also a major measure for coping with climate change and for guaranteeing energy security. Gansu must make full use of the condition richly endowed by nature, resolutely develop wind energy, solar energy, and other clean energy resources, and make an all-out effort to carry out demonstration projects. He stressed that it was necessary to increase investment in science and technology, strengthen independent innovation, overcome technological difficulties, master key technologies, improve equipment quality, strive to lower costs, and provide strong technical support and guarantee for the development of renewable energy.

Gansu is a major agricultural province. After many years of efforts, its grain output has reached 8 million metric tons for five years in succession. This year, its grain output will exceed 9 million metric tons, thus achieving a basic balance between grain supply and demand. The areas planted to potatoes and corn in Gansu, as well as the output of potatoes and corn, rank first in the entire country.

Longle Village in Yangguan Town, Dunhuang City, is a well-off village that has become famous recently. The village has led peasants to become rich through hard work after organizing a grape association. The village's annual per capita income has reached 32,000 yuan. In the 180-square-meter second-story new house of villager Li Jianping, Wu Bangguo sat in a circle with the family members of Li Jianming to chat about homely things. Wu Bangguo was very happy to see that their livelihood has become better and better as a result of hard work. At the village's office for the activity of party members, he asked the basic-level party cadres in detail how the village party branch and the grape association led villagers to become rich by developing agriculture of a distinctive feature.

Wu Bangguo said: Gansu is a dry inland province with scanty rainfall. To develop agricultural production, it must develop water-saving and high-efficiency agriculture of a distinctive feature, promote specialized and standardized production, realize scale and industrialized operation, develop specialized peasant cooperative organizations, improve the new-type socialized service system for agriculture, promote fine processing of agricultural sideline products, heighten the added value of agricultural products, and open a new channel for peasants to become rich through increasing their income.

Gansu is a major tourism province. The world-renown old Silk Road originates from here. The Mogao Grotto, Jiayu Pass, Maijishan, and other well-known scenic spots are well known domestically and internationally. Wu Banggujo made a special trip to the Dunhuang Research Institute to learn about the protection, research, and utilization of cultural relics from the Mogao Grotto. He extended cordial regards to Fan Jingshi, the 73-year-old director of the institute, and other experts and scholars for staying in the Gobi Desert for many years to devote themselves to studying and protecting the Dunhuang culture.

Wu Bangguo pointed out: Gansu has a long history. It has a rich culture; its natural scenery is unique; it is rich in tourism resources. We must give play to this advantage, vigorously develop tourism by adhering to the principle of strict protection, rational development, and constant utilization, transform resource advantages into economic advantages, promote the development of service industry, promote employment, and enliven the local economy.

During his investigations and studies, Wu Bangguo heard a work report of Gansu Province and fully affirmed the work of Gansu Province. He said: The Gansu provincial party committee and provincial government have united and led the people of all nationalities in the province to earnestly implement the policies of the central authorities and carry out work in a creative manner in conjunction with reality. In recent years, Gansu Province has scored great achievements in various undertakings. The recent years have been a period in which Gansu's economic and social development has been fastest, changes in the appearance of the urban and rural areas have been greatest, and the actual benefits obtained by the people have been most numerous. He stressed: While promoting economic work, we must attach great importance to people's livelihood and the development of social undertakings, do a good job in urban and rural planning, strengthen national unity, safeguard social stability, and promote coordinated development. We must strive to do a good job in employment work and re-employment work, strengthen the building of a social security system, continue to accelerate post-disaster restoration and reconstruction, show concern for the livelihood of the families with financial difficulties, promote the reform and development of education, medical care, and other social undertakings, focus on solving the actual difficulties of the masses regarding the schooling, social insurance, and medical care of their children so as to enable the masses of people to jointly enjoy the fruits of reforms and opening up to the outside world. He hoped that the masses of cadres and people in Gansu would continue to maintain high spirits, advance with a pioneering spirit, work hard, constantly push forward various social undertakings to a new level, and write a brilliant new chapter on the old Silk Road.

During his investigations and studies, Wu Bangguo also made a special trip to the provincial people's congress to call on cadres and workers.

Li Jianguo, vice chairman and deputy secretary general of the NPC Standing Committee, and others accompanied Wu Bangguo during the investigation and study tour.

Source: Xinhua news agency domestic service, Beijing, in Chinese 1212 gmt 14 Nov 09

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