A Rapidly Growing Region

GDP: From 1999 to 2008, the GDP of the western region grew from 1.53 trillion yuan ($224 billion) to 5.83 trillion yuan ($853.6 billion), increasing 16 percent on average annually and accounting for 19.4 percent of the national total, an increase from 17.2 percent in 1999.

Infrastructure: More than 888,000 km of highways were constructed in this region between 2000 and 2008, of which 13,927 km were expressways. By the end of 2008, west China had boasted a network of highways totaling 1.42 million km and a network of expressways totaling 16,456 km.

More than 8,000 km of rails were laid between 2000 and 2008, bringing the region's total rail network length to 29,400 km.

By the end of 2008, the western region had 79 airports for civil aviation, accounting for 49.4 percent of the country's total.

Agriculture: The gross output value of the farming, forestry, animal husbandry and fishing sectors reached nearly 1.5 trillion yuan ($220 billion) in 2008, increasing 158.3 percent from 2000.

Industry: The added value of the industrial sector in the western region was 2.25 trillion yuan ($329.4 billion) in 2008, increasing 22.96 percent on average from 1999.

Foreign trade: From 2000 to 2008, the total volume of imports and exports increased more than 20 percent on average every year, 1.3 percentage points higher than the national average.

Rural resident income: Per-capita net income of rural residents reached 3,481 yuan ($510) in 2008, increasing 113.3 percent from 2000.

Education: From 1999 to 2007, the number of colleges and universities in the region increased from 251 to 467, and new enrollment and the number of registered students increased 2.9 times and 3.6 times, respectively.

Medical care: The number of beds in medical care facilities reached 1.08 million and medical professionals reached 1.5 million, up 32.1 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively, from 1999 totals.

Poverty relief: From 2000 to 2008, 60 billion yuan ($8.78 billion) was allocated to reduce the region's impoverished population, cutting the number of impoverished people from 57.3 million to 26.5 million. The reduction totals 30.8 million and accounts for 56.9 percent of the total during the same period nationwide.

The PLA's Contributions to Developing West China

Since 2000, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has supported the Central Government's Western Development Strategy.

PLA engineering teams focused on key infrastructure constructions concerning transportation, water and power supply, telecommunications and energy. Major projects included the west-to-east natural gas transportation network, 5,700 km of highway construction and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Soldiers also participated in environmental improvement efforts by building shelter forests in the northern part of the country, restoring the eco-balance in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, and creating 1.97 million hectares of new forests.

As part of poverty relief efforts, soldiers dug 1,014 wells for residents in water deficient regions, built 17,383 poverty liaison stations and constructed 2,125 new villages. About 674,000 people were lifted out of poverty by the PLA's relief work.

PLA experts held training classes and provided technical services to local governments and people in the western

To assist the Three Gorges Dam projects, the PLA sent more than 800 army engineers to resolve engineering and mechanical problems in the plateau's hydropower stations, saving more than 2 billion yuan ($292 million) in government investment.

Many new schools in the region were built with PLA donations. In the western area, the PLA and armed police donated 1.1375 billion yuan ($166 million) to poverty-stricken people, building 1,582 elementary and middle schools and providing financial support to more than 185,100 students. After the Wenchuan earthquake in May 2008, the PLA raised 1.075 billion yuan ($157 million) to allow earthquake-hit children to attend schools.

Medical and health conditions in poverty-stricken areas have seen marked improvement thanks to PLA efforts. Since 2000, the PLA and the armed police gave financial aid to 159 county-level hospitals, trained more than 64,000 doctors and nurses, and donated 4,660 pieces of medical equipment.

Together with relevant government departments, the PLA general staff headquarters approved the opening of 26 districts and counties in the western region, upgraded 27 aviation management centers, and extended 22 military airports for civilian use.

Soldiers also participated in the construction of tourist sites, such as the sites of revolutionary events, battlefields and museums.

The PLA and armed police also strive to maintain stability in the western region, building more than 10,000 km of border defense roads and installing 250 border alarm monitoring systems. The PLA has stood firm in the fight against terrorist and separatist activities and guards against potential border disputes to secure a stable living environment for the residents in the western region.

In the last decade, soldiers have actively contributed to emergency and disaster relief efforts—a large number of PLA soldiers were sent to assist western region residents after floods, earthquakes, fires, blizzards, and droughts struck China's interior.

(Source: Leading Office of the PLA's Participation in the Western Development)