Xiamen – Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture Pairing-off Poverty Alleviation

　　【Overview】 In 2010, Xiamen seriously learned the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 17th Party Committee and implemented the scientific development concept throughout the east-west pairing-off cooperation for poverty reduction according to the instruction and policy of the central government and provincial government on the counterpart support and achieved certain results.

　　Xiamen municipal party committee and government always attach importance to the pairing-off poverty alleviation and take the counterpart support as a major political task to coordinate regional development based on the overall situation of China. The standing committee of CPC Xiamen Party Committee and the Municipal Government included the pairing-off poverty reduction into the important agenda. First, in order to ensure the smooth implementation of east-west pairing-off poverty reduction, the government held the executive meeting on the counterpart support work and held the standing committee on relevant issues concerning the east-west pairing-off poverty reduction to ensure that the counterpart support work is carried out under the correct leadership of the municipal party committee and municipal government. Secondly, make rational arrangements of the anti-poverty funds. Xiamen has relatively less fiscal revenue among those undertaking the task of east-west pairing-off cooperation for poverty reduction. Despite the financial constraints, the government attached high importance to the twinning poverty relief work and allocated 11.2 million Yuan of anti-poverty funds in 2010 to meet the needs of Chongqing and Gansu’s Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture for pairing-off poverty reduction. Thirdly, hold meetings on study of aid projects. The municipal party committee and government conducted special study and inspections on large-scale aid projects to ensure the feasibility of projects. Fourthly, a clear division of labor for counterpart support. In view of the heavier counterpart support task and the larger number of twinned regions for Xiamen, the government held the work conference on counterpart support and assigned the tasks to various regions to mobilize the enthusiasm of parties concerned, building a framework for further counterpart support work. Fifthly, according to the spirit of the state’s development-oriented poverty alleviation, the government proposed to combine the counterpart support work with western development and expansion of domestic demands so that the pairing-off poverty reduction can support Xiamen to increase investment in the hinterland, expand domestic demand and participate in the western development.

　　【Field survey for poverty reduction】 On June 18, 2010, the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development issued the “Notice on Adjusting the Targets of Xiamen in East-West Pairing-off Cooperation for Poverty Reduction” (Guo Kai Fa [2010] No. 2, hereinafter the “Notice”) and designated Xiamen to provide counterpart support for Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province. In the east-west pairing-off poverty alleviation, Xiamen no longer assume the responsibility of providing counterpart assistance for Chongqing City. Xiamen Municipal Party Committee and Government attached great importance to the pairing-off poverty reduction and the government leaders personally gave instructions on the work. According to the instructions of the Municipal Party Committee and Government, Xiamen launched the counterpart support for Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province.

　　From July 20 to 24, relevant leaders of Xiamen Counterpart Support Office led relevant staffs to carry out field survey in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province and discuss the pairing-off poverty reduction work. Xiamen Counterpart Support Office held talks with relevant leaders of Linxia Prefecture Party Committee and Government. On the meeting, Member of the Standing Committee of CPC Linxia Prefecture Party Committee and Executive Vice Mayor Dai Chao introduced the basic situation of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture. Secretary of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture Party Committee Ran Wanxiang put forward requirements and plan for social development and the pairing-off cooperation in poverty reduction. Executive Deputy Director of Xiamen Counterpart Support Office and Vice Director of Xiamen Economic Development Bureau Xu Qingsong and Director General of Gansu Poverty Alleviation Office Shabai Cili respectively delivered a speech in the meeting. Relevant leaders of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture and 23 department heads attended the event. Staffs of Xiamen Counterpart Support Office successively visited the poor rural households of Dongxiang Hui Autonomous County, Hezheng County and Yongjing County in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture and carried out field research on the urban planning and industrial layout of Linxia City, where locates Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture.

　　【Poverty reduction conference】 From August 19 to 22, 2010, Vice Mayor of Linxia Prefecture Zhao Weiguo headed a delegation to visit Xiamen for docking of pairing-off cooperation in poverty reduction. Vice Mayor of Xiamen City Ye Chonggen met the delegation of Linxia Prefecture Government and held talks with Vice Mayor Zhao Weiguo. During that period, Gansu Provincial Poverty Alleviation Office and Linxia Prefecture Poverty Alleviation Office also conducted research on the work with Xiamen Counterpart Support Office. The two sides held many talks on the pairing-off cooperation agreement and main work in poverty reduction.

　　On October 16, Mayor Liu Cigui hosted the Mayor’s Office Meeting, which approved in principle the agreement on the pairing-off cooperation in poverty reduction of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province. Meanwhile, departments concerned of Xiamen made preparations for the visit of the party and government delegation of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture.

　　As it did not undertake the task of providing counterpart support for Linxia until the second half of the year, Xiamen did not arrange any fund for the counterpart support in 2010. Through coordination, it allocated 2 million Yuan of other funds to support the poverty alleviation of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in 2010 and negotiated with the parties concerned of Linxia on the construction of specific projects.

　　【Poverty relief projects】 In 2010, Xiamen was designated to support Wanzhou District of Chongqing City and implemented 6 aid projects with anti-poverty funds of 6 million Yuan. Based on the actual situations of Qianjiang District and Wulong County, these projects were mainly launched to support poverty alleviation leading enterprises, improve the rural roads and support labor transfer, etc. As Wanzhou District Industrial Park of Chongqing was initially formed with certain advantages as a port in the southwest areas, focusing on building the ability of the recipient regions for economic development through inviting merchants, Xiamen City used the limited aid funds to maximize the benefits, helped to establish the immigrant employment base, introduced large-scale profitable enterprises for the base to achieve the updating of industrial structure, etc.

　　It helped Wanzhou establish good investment environment for merchant inviting and enhance its competitiveness in introducing production-oriented enterprises; solved the problem of shortage of industries, immigrant resettlement and reservoir stability and provided a large number of jobs; helped Wanzhou Industrial Park enhance attractiveness and competitiveness as well as the effectiveness of investment inviting, help it consolidate the financing platform, broaden financing channels, strengthen environmental protection and construction and expand the investment channels of enterprises in Xiamen, and achieved win-win situation. Since 2009, Xiamen invested 12 million Yuan for three consecutive years to help the twinned regions construct standard plants of 12,000 square meters in the immigrant employment bases and build a platform to attract more enterprises of Xiamen to invest in Wanzhou, aiming to promote the industrial development of Wanzhou and increase employment opportunities for the poor in Wanzhou, Qianjiang and Wulong. In 2010, 4 million Yuan of relief funds was invested.

　　In order to support the enterprises of Xiamen to invest in Wanzhou, through negotiation between the governments of Xiamen and Wanzhou, the enterprises of Xiamen do not need to pay rental for business operation in the plants built with assistance of Xiamen City, but the enterprises must employ a certain number of poor people. In 2010, the plants were being built. After the project construction, it will accelerate the pace of industrial development, increase the economic aggregation and employments in Wanzhou, promote the employment of the poor and speed up the pace of poverty reduction.

　　As Wulong County of Chongqing is mountainous with little land area, it is very difficult to lift the poor out of poverty. The county takes tourism as the pillar industry to help lift the poor out of poverty and Xiamen municipal party committee and government provided strong support to promote the common development of tourism industry in Wulong County and Xiamen City. Supported by the governments of the two sides, the tourism industry of Wulong witnessed rapid development.

　　【Poverty alleviation by industrialization】 Under the powerful guidance of the governments of Xiamen and Chongqing, an increasing number of enterprises of Xiamen begin to invest in Chongqing. Through the coordination of Xiamen Counterpart Support Office, 100-mu Chongqing Yudong Jitian Wanzhou International Trading Logistic Industrial Park Project with investment of 1.6 billion Yuan from Jitian Investment Holding (Xiamen) Co., Ltd was officially launched in Wanzhou and Wanzhou Port bonded warehouse was set up with investment of more than 20 million Yuan. This project will create the top-ranking modern logistic center of the reservoir area, promote the rapid development of the primary, secondary and tertiary industry of Wanzhou and increase employments for a large number of poor people to lift them out of poverty.