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Shops to open in resettlement zones

By Jiang Wei (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-04 10:46

People in the earthquake-hit areas are expected to get a better supply of goods and financial services as governments and businesses strive to resume operations.

The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said yesterday it will suggest the Ministry of Finance help subsidize some affected retailers and logistic businesses to get back on their feet.

MOFCOM said more than 70,000 retail outlets had been affected by the earthquake, suffering a total loss of 32.4 billion yuan ($4.69 billion). More than 21,000 shops were destroyed.

Most retailers in the mountain areas are small and medium-sized ones that need financial support to recover, Chang Xiaocun, director of MOFCOM's market system development department, told a press conference yesterday.

He said it was also necessary to help the logistics companies as they play an important role in guaranteeing the supply of goods.

The ministry will continue to send vending vans to the quake-hit towns and villages to ensure the supply of essential goods.

The first of the vans started business on May 27 selling pesticides, washing powder, cups, mosquito coils, toilet paper and bowls.

MOFCOM officials said these vans will be in use until temporary outlets can be set up. The ministry plans to build at least one 60 sq m shop near 1,000 temporary shelters.

By Monday, more than 17,000 shops had resumed business in the quake-affected areas. Some peddlers had also started to sell cooked food, vegetables, tea and cigarettes near the shelters.

In another development, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) said all 648 outlets of its Sichuan branch had now resumed operations. The previous "tent banks" had been moved to "outlets in temporary houses".

The outlets in Mianzhu, one of the worst-hit areas, resumed business on May 27.

With facilities being updated, ICBC's financial services are slowly recovering to the pre-quake level.