NATION CHINA DAILY THURSDAY MARCH 15, 2007 3

INBRIEF to have Rail travel record The country’s railway system carried a record 156 million a private railway passengers during the 40-day period spanning Spring Festi- million). It is expected to be val. About 69 million were mid- Investor confi dent of a good, completed by next January, said dle and long-distance travelers. Lai Zheng’ao, chairman of the The Ministry of Railways added steady return under BOT scheme Sichuan Dezhong Investment 22,321 additional passenger Construction Co. trains to cope with the traffi c By Huang Zhiling with the Sichuan Provincial The company’s decision to during the holiday, 514 more Development and Reform Com- build the railway is based on the than the previous year. mission. return expected. It will serve the : Construction Since 2005, the Ministry of Sichuan Yadong Cement Co, and will start next month on the Railways has welcomed social the 800,000-ton ethylene and first privately-funded railway funds to invest in railway 10 million-ton refi nery project Battle against smog project in Southwest China’s construction. BOT, used in in Pengzhou, Lai said. Authorities in this Southwest Sichuan Province. infrastructure construction The Sichuan Yadong Cement China’s municipality are Located in Pengzhou, a city globally, has been used in a Co is the largest Taiwan-invested claiming success in the battle administered by Sichuan’s few local railway projects, said project in Sichuan costing $350 against its infamous smog provincial capital Chengdu, the a ministry offi cial who declined million. Construction of the after a long campaign for Pengzhou-Bailu Railway is be- to give his name. project consists of three phases. cleaner air. ing built under the BOT (Build, But he said BOT would not Last year saw the completion of The city has seen the annual Operate and Transfer) scheme become a major investment the fi rst phase and the launching number of hazy days more which encourages the use of channel in the railway sector. of the second. When the second than halved to an average of private funds. “It is because building a phase is completed next year, the 51 in the last four years from The builder, the privately- railway is very costly, and the company will rely on the Peng- 110 previously, offi cials claim. owned Sichuan Dezhong Invest- returns, though stable, takes zhou-Bailu Railway to transport The hazy weather is a fre- ment Construction Co, will own a longer time than other infra- 4.6 million tons of cement a year, quent occurrence because of the right to operate the railway structure projects,” he said. Lai said. Fatal accident the city’s unique geographic for 30 years before transferring The Pengzhou-Bailu Railway “We can recoup our invest- A lorry ploughs into a mini-van on a highway on Tuesday morning in Nandan County, the conditions. it to the provincial government, will be 29 kilometers long and ment within six to seven years,” Zhuang Autonomous Region. Seven people died and two were injured in the accident. said Jiang Wenlong, an offi cial cost 420 million yuan ($55 Lai said. Su Hongliu Xinhua

technical problems, such as adequate water supply and plans an sunlight. Move to better protect Grand Canal “We are considering using a sunlight receiver and trans- By Guan Xiaofeng inadequate protection efforts. (from Beijing to Jining) is not On completion of the project, underground park mitter,” Shu said. Shan said it lacks legislative navigable. the canal will have at least a The sun’s rays will be support, good planning, a coordi- Zhou Liang, an offi cial with level-3 navigational ability, al- By Miao Qing streams, according to Shu Yu, stored by a receiver above A national organization is to be nating mechanism and funds. the Ministry of Communications, lowing 1,000-ton vessels to sail deputy director of the Shang- the ground and then trans- established this year to better Shan criticized some places said the canal remains important from the Dongping Lake in Shan- hai Urban Underground Space mitted to the underground protect the world’s longest and for damaging the canal’s an- to the economy in addition to its dong Province to Hangzhou. Its SHANGHAI: While the city is Development Institute, and a park through optical fibers, oldest canal, the Beijing-Hang- cient look and original style cultural value. transportation capacity will digging deeper to make room researcher involved in the where it will be converted zhou Grand Canal, making it a by constructing numerous city More than 100,000 vessels increase by 40 percent. for more metro lines, shops ecological project. into sunshine. top candidate for a world heritage squares and grasslands along use the canal today and carry At present, the section south and public shelters, it is ex- “We will probably landscape “For water supply, we could site, a senior offi cial said. the waterway. 260 million tons of goods every of the Yangtze River has only a pected to welcome something an existing underground facil- use special tubes to carry the Shan Jixiang, director of the “The canal is more than a year, three times as much as level-4 navigational ability. truly ecological in the near ity in Shanghai to make it re- water directly to the roots of State Administration of Cultural tourist attraction,” Shan said. the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, The 1,794-kilometer-long future — its fi rst underground semble a normal park above plants,” Shu said. Heritage, said at a press confer- “We should combine the protec- Zhou said. Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal park. the ground,” Shu said. Green areas have gener- ence during the Chinese People’s tion work with economic de- “The canal connects major links five major rivers, the Local architects have al- “Green areas will be ex- ally been ignored in the city’s Political Consultative Conference velopment and benefi t people’s coal bases in the north and Haihe, Yellow, Huaihe, Yangtze ready begun working on the tended from the ground to existing underground spaces, that the organization will coor- lives.” serves as a cheap and convenient and Qiantang. project. If it proves feasible, a the walls and ceilings of the most of which are developed dinate protection efforts from Shan disagreed with the idea channel to transport coal to the With parts of the canal dug green park covering hundreds subterranean structure, and for traffic and pedestrian different governmental depart- of making the whole canal navi- fast developing Yangtze River in the 5th century BC, the canal of square meters will be built some indoor plants, such as use. ments and provinces along the gable again. Delta,” Zhou said. had served as a major south- beneath the city in three the broadleaf bracket-plant, The underground park is ex- canal. The canal is now navigable To improve its transportation north transport artery since it years, the fi rst of its kind in will also be used.” pected not only to clean the air Shan admitted the 2,400- between Hangzhou in capacity, , and was completed in the 13th cen- the entire country. Architects plan to make the and regulate the temperature, year-old canal, approved by the Province and Jining in Shandong Zhejiang provinces will invest tury during the Yuan Dynasty The park will not only con- underground park look like a but also to make for a relaxing State Council as a national key Province. Because of inadequate 20 billion yuan ($2.56 billion) (1271-1368). sist of grass lawns and green small forest. But the design and comfortable environment, cultural relic in 2005, is facing water and narrow course, most on dredging the waterway by vegetation, but also winding has still to overcome some architects said. a series of problems because of of the canal’s northern section 2010. Lifeblood, Page 19 SPECIALSUPPLEMENT drives on fast track By Jia Jingqi improvement, the mayor Facts and fi gures promised to remove all boilers The GDP of Changchun reached 193.4 billion yuan in 2006, under 10 tons from the central Changchun Mayor Cui Jie up 14.5 percent on a yearly basis. districts of Changchun and pledged to maintain the achieve intensive heat supply continuity and stability of The value of the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in three years. government work to ensure stood at 19 billion yuan, 94.27 billion yuan and 80.13 billion Furthermore, all buildings the achievement of various yuan respectively in 2006, making up 9.8, 48.8 and 41.4 per- within 150 meters of either economic growth goals. cent of the total. side of the Ring Freeway will Cui, a new mayor voted in at a Local economic development zones realized an accumulated be knocked down within two Changchun Municipal People’s GDP of 100.5 billion yuan last year, crossing the 100-billion- years, half of them this year. Congress session on February yuan mark. Cui added that no matter how 15, said great efforts would be much effort is required and taken to carry out the tasks Fixed asset investments reached 95 billion yuan in 2006, up what diffi culties have to be con- proposed in the government 30 billion yuan or 46.1 percent from a year ago. fronted, the city government will work report for 2007. strive to build Changchun into a The government will put ban workers and the security investment of 30 million yuan national-level sanitary city. together a special team to line for minimum subsistence. each, with 500 projects receiv- investigate serious problems When these issues are clari- ing a capital of more than 100 Auto Industry affecting people’s lives, such fi ed, systemic solutions will be million each. “Changchun, by its very es- as endowment insurance of ur- worked out in terms of goals, In addition, 58.5 billion sence, is a city of automobiles,” period of completion and mea- yuan will be injected into the said Cui. The output value The 2006 Real Estate Exhibition and Trade Fair of Changchun attracts hosts of consumers from in sures to achieve these goals, the industrial sector, accounting of the automobile industry and around the city. Regarding urban mayor said. for 45 percent of the total in- in Changchun last year was construction, This year has been ear- vestment. nearly 70 percent of its total marked as a “project construc- All industrial projects will be industrial production, and the Changchun is tion year” for Changchun, the set up in economic development city will continue to rely on undergoing a capital of ’s zones or areas with industrial this pillar sector to accelerate Figures point to favorable historical phase of Province, and the mayor concentration. development. promised significant break- Investment in the develop- The mayor said the govern- “big expansion, throughs in the total amount of ment zones at various levels ment will wholeheartedly sup- changes in economic pattern big investment, investment as well as the num- should be no less than 2,000 port First Automotive Works ber and quality of projects. yuan per square meter, and in (FAW) to improve property de- By Jia Bian that its primary industry’s to local economic growth, the big change and big Overall investment is expect- case of the four major develop- velopment capacity and achieve share of the GDP (gross do- agricultural product processing development. “ ed to reach 130 billion yuan this ment areas of Changchun, the the goal of producing 1 million mestic product) was below 10 industry has grown into a new year, up 35 billion yuan from minimum capital outlay is vehicles annually during the The array of economic growth percent for the fi rst time. pillar with a 13.3-percent share CUI JIE the last. Some 3,000 projects 3,000 yuan per square meter. 11th Five-Year Plan period fi gures released at the recent The total GDP of Changchun of the Changchun’s industrial Changchun Mayor are in the pipeline, one-third Regarding urban construc- (2006-10). Changchun Economic Work reached 193.4 billion yuan in output. of which will see a minimum tion, Cui said Changchun is The manufacture of differen- Conference indicates that the 2006, up 14.5 percent on a Despite rapid development, undergoing a historical phase tial products such as Zhongxing city is fi rmly on its way to rapid yearly basis. The value of the the automobile industry oc- of “big expansion, big invest- SUVs and pickups, Junsheng development. primary, secondary and tertiary cupied only 68.5 percent of the ment, big change and big tractors and Hengli special In 2006, Changchun saw sectors stood at 19 billion yuan, city’s total industrial produc- development”. vehicles will be encouraged, fixed asset investment reach 94.27 billion yuan and 80.13 bil- tion value last year, compared Infrastructure construction with an emphasis on the bus 95 billion yuan, up 30 billion lion yuan respectively, making with 78.3 percent in 2004 will be strengthened to com- segment. yuan, or 46.1 percent from a up 9.8, 48.8 and 41.4 percent of when the sector’s performance plete the city road network, Further, the construction year ago. This growth rate is the total. In addition, the local was foundering. Wang said the surrounded by the Ring Free- of the auto spare parts export higher than that of the other economic development zones fact that Changchun has re- way, which covers 520 square base will begin this year in the 14 vice-provincial-level cities realized an accumulated GDP duced its heavy reliance on the kilometers. hope of developing products nationwide. of 100.5 billion yuan last year, automobile industry will exert Traffi c order in key areas that can substitute the ones The investment structure crossing the 100-billion-yuan a far-reaching infl uence on its such as the railway station, that are currently imported. has been markedly improved, mark. economic structure in which the People’s Square, and the “We will not only supply FAW, with private investment grow- Changchun’s Party Secretary new industries are playing an Farmers’ and Workers’ Square but the national and the inter- ing 74 percent year-on-year Wang Rulin noted that the new increasingly important part. will be improved. The building national markets as well,” the and accounting for 65 percent ratio of the three sectors’ con- The photoelectric IT sector, in of the Light Rail Line 4 will mayor said. of the total investment. Some tribution, especially the impres- particular, is now confronted begin in the second half of The base is expected to 1,860 projects were launched sive speed of industrial growth, with both enormous opportu- the year, while preparations supply over half the spare last year, with 248 of them marks a milestone in the city’s nities and big challenges. If Deputy Governor of Jilin Province Jinbin (right) and Cui Jie, for urban subway construc- parts required by FAW in fi ve receiving capital of more than industrialization. partners could be introduced mayor of Changchun, unveil the Changchun-based Special tion will be launched at the years. A 400,000-square-meter 100 million yuan each. While the automobile in- to the sector this year, a favor- Vehicle Industrial Park, the fi rst of its kind in the country, early same time. auto trade center is also on the Another highlight of Chang- dustry continued to play a able turn is expected to occur, this month. In terms of environmental cards. chun’s economy last year was signifi cant role in contributing Wang stressed.