Fujian-Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Pairing-off Poverty Alleviation

　　【Overview】 In 2009, under the care and instruction of LGOP, promoted by the party committees and governments of Fujian Province and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (hereinafter Ningxia), with the joint efforts of the parties concerned, in Fujian-Ningxia pairing-off poverty alleviation cooperation, the two sides continuously implemented the strategy of promoting poverty reduction by project construction, strengthened the exchange of information, technology and personnel and the labor cooperation, and achieved fruitful results in the economy, trade, education, culture, health and tourism industry, which promoted the economic development, nationality progress and social stability of the impoverished areas in the southern part of Ningxia and promoted the construction of economic zone at the western bank of the straits, achieving common development of the two places in poverty reduction cooperation.

　　【Fujian-Ningxia cooperation projects】In 2009, Fujian Province allocated grants of 21 million Yuan for the construction of six major projects, covering more than 27,000 rural families in nine counties and districts in the central and southern areas of Ningxia. It constantly promoted the construction of poverty reduction projects by developing Juncao industry, established one mushroom seeding base, one mushroom growing training base and one mushroom demonstration base, two cold storage spots, supported 33,020 rural families to grow mushroom and helped the farmers increase income of nearly 10,000 Yuan. Most of the mushroom growing farmers have gradually obtained stable income and shaken off poverty. It organized long/medium-term skills trainings for 670 rural labors, which significantly improved the quality of the migrant workers in Fujian. Meanwhile, supported the growing of potato, Xisha melon and red dates of 40,000 mu and helped 2,575 rural families to develop beef cattle and prairie chicken raising; it invested in the construction of drinking water projects for human and livestock, village-road building and renovation of dangerous buildings and kilns; supported the construction of 8 entire village advancement demonstration villages in Ningxia, which became a highlight of the new rural construction in the central and southern areas of Ningxia; carried out cultural poverty reduction and installed 8,000 TV sets for the key villages; and allocated 23 million Yuan of relief funds to help the students facing the risk of dropping out of school due to poverty in the central and southern areas. The sixth batch of 18 cadres from Fujian for aiding Ningxia overcame the difficulties in climate, life and language, strived for more than 69 million Yuan of funds and materials for the twinned cities and counties and helped them introduce nine investment projects with total investment of 730 million Yuan. These projects have brought good economic and social benefits and the projects and are widely praised by the poor. In the “Moving Ningxia • 2008 Annual Character” activity of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Fujian’s sending cadres for aiding Ningxia was titled as the “moving collective”.

　　【Counterpart support】With the joint efforts of the sending cadres of Fujian for aiding Ningxia and the twinned cities and counties of the Fujian and Ningxia, the helping cities and counties put in 49.07 million Yuan of relief funds to implement more than 140 aid projects in the recipient regions. Cangshan District invested 5.8 million Yuan to help Longde County construct Liupan Folk Culture Plaza, Liupanshan Fujian-Ningxia (Fuzhou) Chamber, Shanhe Wangzhang Minning New Village and the County sewage treatment factory, etc. Lianjiang County issued 4.66 million Yuan of relief funds to set up “Yanchi Lianjiang Education Scholarship Fund” and support Yanchi County’s ecological relocation, ecological governance, ecological operation and ecological improvement. Huli District provided relief funds of 5 million Yuan to construct the teaching buildings and dormitory buildings for the primary and secondary schools in the new districts, the central home for the aged and communities’ medical centers and develop the facility agriculture, facility breeding and labor industry for Haiyuan County. Xiang’an District put in 5.85 million Yuan to help Jingyuan County develop the comprehensive governance project in Wolongshan Section of Xiangshui River, develop beef cattle industry, construction labor export market and develop featured tourism. Nan’an City provided 9.2 million Yuan to support Tongxin County to build the Nan’an Ecological Immigrant Village, Nan’an Community and the medical building of Hui Nationality Hospital Nan’an Branch, and set up village-level mutual funds for development, and help 2,200 poor students as well. Fengze District issued 8.21 million Yuan for the implementation of ten thousand-mu autumn membrane tectoria’s “food and clothing project”, the construction of New Tuanjie Immigrant Village in Sanying Town, set up university student’s innovation park and beef cattle breeding cooperatives in Yuanzhou District, and donated 34,000 pieces of clothes for the district. Nanjing County invested 4.1 million Yuan to support the construction of Liupanshan Edible Mushroom Research Center of Pangyang County, Nanjing Teaching Building of Pengyang No. 3 Middle School, township hospitals (clinics), etc. Hanjiang District issued 4.67 million Yuan to support Xiji County to develop vegetable, sweet corn and celery as well as other facility agriculture, set up potato wholesale market information center and dispatch 10,619 labors (person-times).

　　【Social poverty alleviation】Through the coordination of Ningxia Poverty Alleviation Office and the Fujian-Ningxia Cooperation Office of Fujian Province, with joint efforts of the two provinces’ development and reform commissions, Xiamen Airline Co., Ltd officially opened up the air route of Fuzhou-Xi’an-Yinchuan at the end of April 2009 and arranged four scheduled flights every week, achieving direct air link between Fujian and Ningxia, creating a new channel for Ningxia and even the northwestern mainland to carry out economic exchange and cooperation with Fujian and Taiwan. In 2009, the organization, education, health, family planning and League Committee as well as other related departments of the two places cooperated with each other to train 752 persons for Ningxia. Fujian Provincial Department of Education organized nine A-level middle schools to support nine common high schools in the central and southern areas of Ningxia and organized the universities to carry out exchanges and cooperation in discipline construction with the twinned regions. Based on the present recruitment plan for students from Ningxia, the universities planned to recruit 50 minority students from poor areas of Ningxia. Meanwhile, the two provinces expanded the scale of their cooperation in school running and recruited 1000 more students from the vocational schools of Ningxia. The 10th batch of 85 backbone teachers for aiding Ningxia sent by Fujian province work hard in the teaching position, voluntarily gave open and demonstration lesions, delivered lectures and guidance and carried out reform of teaching methods, which promoted the further deepening of the new curriculum reform in impoverished areas and greatly improved the teaching quality of the schools.

　　In 2009, all circles of society in Fujian raised funds of 8.2 million Yuan for the schools in mountain areas of Ningxia and supported Ningxia to build 17 schools and help 4,272 poor students, which promoted the development of education industry of the poverty-stricken regions. The health departments of the two provinces (regions) further deepened the counterpart support work and carried out cooperation in personnel training, business skills instruction, academic exchanges, hospital management, information communication and material and financial support, promoting the development of health industry in Ningxia. The human resource departments, the women’s federations and poverty alleviation departments of the two provinces (regions) increased efforts on labor transfer training, actively expanded labor export channels and organized labor transfer of more than 8000 persons (times) to Fujian with labor income of nearly 140 million Yuan.

　　The women’s federations of the two provinces (regions) jointly established a “demonstration village for Fujian-Ningxia’s ‘Six First’ Project” and contacted Fujian Huayang Electronic Co., Ltd to provide financial aid of 1.68 million Yuan for the construction of two “Chunlei primary schools” in the central arid areas. Juncao research Institute of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University continued to cooperate with Ningxia Poverty Alleviation Office and sent 13 technicians to promote Juncao growing and foster local technicians in impoverished areas of Ningxia to accelerate the localization of Juncao production. The science and technology departments of the places integrated the advantageous sources, put in more than 2 million Yuan of project fund, increased technology introduction and integrated innovation, organized experts to develop modern microorganism production equipment and techniques and establish the production technical system for summer edible mushroom suited for mountain areas, making a breakthrough to the microorganism production technology under low temperature, which significantly enhanced the technological level of microorganism industry. The agricultural departments of the two places jointly organized research on the adaptive growing of potato seeds, conducted regional pilot projects, screening and demonstration work and determined four species suitable for growing in Fujian, laying a foundation for the large-scale cooperation in potato seed growing.

　　【Poverty alleviation by business cooperation】 With the support of the major leaders of the two places, promoted by the parties concerned, 13 enterprises of Fujian invested in Ningxia in 2009 and the total amount of the investment exceeded 2.5 billion Yuan. Delong Winery Co., Ltd put in 1.8 billion Yuan for the construction of the green agricultural wine grape base project, which was launched in Yongning County. The dehydrated vegetable growing project with investment of 200 million Yuan from Hualin Comprehensive Agricultural Development Co., Ltd was launched in Xiji County. The Xiji County Dihao Real Estate Project with investment of 60 million Yuan was completed. Jinhu Real Estate Company invested 70 million Yuan to develop tourism industry in Longde County. The medicine storage center of Minning Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, the 200,000 p/y vehicle glass project of Furui Auto Supplies Co., Ltd, the organic fertilizer production project of Mingningfeng Fertilizer Co., Ltd and the new type plastic pipe project of Zhuohexin Plastic Co., Ltd in Desheng Industrial Park have been successively completed and put into production. In addition, a number of enterprises of Fujian engaged in food processing, chemical and communication business have expanded the production scale and enhanced the production capacity.

　　【13th Fujian-Ningxia Joint Meeting for Mutual Learning and Counterpart Support】 On August 21, 2009, the 13th Fujian-Ningxia Joint Meeting for Mutual Learning and Counterpart Support was convened in Yinchuan of Ningxia. Vice Secretary of Fujian Party Committee Yu Guangzhou, Deputy Director of People’s Congress of Fujian Liu Dezhang, Vice Governor of Fujian Province Hong Jiexu and Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Fujian Provincial Committee Li Zuke headed a delegation to attend the event. The Secretary of Ningxia Party Committee Chen Jianguo, Chairman of Ningxia Government Wang Zhengwei and other leaders and relevant division heads were present at the meeting. The conference affirmed the achievements of Fujian-Ningxia mutual learning and counterpart support work and reviewed the work done since the 12th joint meeting. Based on affirming the achievements and summarizing the experience, the event conducted in-depth studies and discussions on further strengthening the mutual assistance and counterpart support work between the two sides. According to the meeting, in Fujian-Ningxia mutual learning and counterpart support, the two provinces should continue to comprehensively implement the “Several Opinions of the State Council on Further Promoting the Economic and Social Development of Ningxia” and the “Several Opinions of the State Council on Supporting Fujian to Accelerate the Construction of the Economic Zone at the Western Bank of the Straits” and continue to adhere to the principle of “government driving, social participation, business cooperation and market operation” and “complementary advantages, mutual benefits, long-term cooperation and common development” to constantly promote the mutual learning and counterpart support between the two places and promote the sound and rapid economic and social development of Fujian and Ningxia.

　　(Ningxia Aiding Office of Fujian Provincial Leading Group for Pairing-off Poverty Alleviation)