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Premier reassures provinces that their development remains a top priority

Central and western provinces have been assured that the national government is still committed to developing the regions, while it pursues measures to cool the pace of economic activity.

The message was given by Premier Wen Jiabao  during his five-day visit to the central province of Hubei , where he also met the provincial leaders from Anhui , Jiangxi , Henan  and Hunan .

At about the same time, Vice-Premier Huang Ju  also visited the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region .

During the two visits, which were reported by Xinhua yesterday, the leaders also stressed the need to pursue the ongoing measures to prevent the economy from overheating.

Meeting with provincial leaders  on Saturday, Mr Wen said the nation's supply of coal, electricity and oil, and the transport network continued to face enormous pressure as investment constantly poured in.

While saying the cooling measures had brought some relief in those sectors, Mr Wen conceded that the work remained an  'extremely arduous task'.

He warned that the government must prevent any investment rebound in the controlled sectors.

But he added: 'The central region is one of the key positions of the nation's infrastructure modernisation. Its development must be given great importance and support.'

Highlighting the importance of the central region in the modernisation of the country, Mr Wen said the government should continue to support the region and help it explore a 'new road' of development.

He also reaffirmed the need to support the region.

Speaking from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region yesterday, Mr Huang said he hoped local officials would implement the central government's plans to develop the west.

Both leaders emphasised the need for the regions to strengthen their agricultural sectors and bring their advantages in natural resources into play.

Xinhua reported that Mr Wen specifically encouraged the central provinces to expand both their hi-tech and traditional industries, while Mr Huang urged Inner Mongolia to continue building up infrastructure to guard itself against flooding.

The reassurance to the provinces came as the central government intensifies its efforts to curb the growth of industries responsible for shortages in energy and raw materials, and the strain on the nation's transport system.

To solve the bottlenecks, the central government has adopted a series of macroeconomic controls, including aggressively implementing restraints on investment and bank loans, while cracking down on illegal land use and closing businesses that consume excessive amounts of energy.



We won't forget hinterland, promises Wen