Guizhou aims to maintain its rapid growth

Authorities in the poverty-stricken province of Guizhou vow that the region's gross domestic product will maintain its double-digit growth rate over the next three to five years.

As China's GDP growth slowed to 7.7 percent last year and is expected to slow even further this year, Guizhou's economy grew 12.7 percent in 2013. Zhao Kezhi, Party chief of Guizhou who is also a deputy to the National People's Congress, said during the annual NPC session on Thursday that the growth rate will be sustained.

Zhao said sectors that are developing rapidly in the province are manufacturing, information, tourism and modern agriculture.

By 2020, the province is expected to finish building the country's first "top-tier" cloud computing hub. China's three leading telecommunication carriers will build cloud-computing facilities in the capital, Guiyang, with accumulated investment of more than 15 billion yuan ($ 2.45 billion).

The output of the province's electronic information industry is expected to reach 300 billion yuan by 2015, according to the government's plan.

"We hope the hub will make Guizhou a pioneer in this cutting-edge technology," said Governor Chen Min'er.

Green industries that incorporate high-tech innovations and tourism will be introduced to guarantee that Guizhou is environmentally friendly, Zhao said.

Guizhou authorities have insisted that environment protection is at the top of their agenda.

"We will reject any project that may cause pollution to the environment," Zhao said.

President Xi Jinping emphasized when he attended the panel discussion of the national legislators from Guizhou on Saturday that Guizhou must bear in mind two bottom lines: development and biology.

In order to realize that goal, the mountainous southwestern province released a series of environmental protection measures in January to fight pollution.

While issuing stricter environmental protection measures, Chen, also an NPC deputy, said the province is focusing on transforming economic structure and improving people's livelihood.

"We're calling for quality, not just speed," Chen said.

To support the development of Guizhou, the central government gave the province several preferential policies to help it alleviate poverty.

In 2013, the State Council requested that eight coastal cities offer aid to a city or prefecture in Guizhou. Each coastal city was asked to allocate at least 30 million yuan every year before 2020.

Guizhou is one of the least developed provincial regions in China, with GDP per capita at about $3,700 last year, about $3,000 lower than the national level, Zhao said.

"Guizhou is welcoming reforms, in which we will bear improving people's livelihood and the alleviation of poverty in mind," Chen said.

Contact the writers at wangqian@chinadaily.com.cn and yangjun@chinadaily.com.cn