OUTGOING Fujian Governor Jia Qinglin yesterday projected a minimum 11 per cent increase in the province's economy this year. His projection further validated the fear that the modest nine per cent growth rate set by Beijing would not be followed by the regions. Guangdong has announced a 15 per cent target for this year. Speaking at the opening of the Eighth Fujian People's Congress, Mr Jia told the 513 delegates that the province must ''seize the time'' to expand its economy. Fujian, which is opposite Taiwan, would see a 15 per cent growth in its industries this year along with a seven per cent increase in the farming sector, he said. Tertiary industries would grow at 12 per cent. According to Mr Jia, such growth rates were needed for Fujian's early realisation of its Eighth Five-Year Economic Plan - one year ahead its original 1995 target. ''It is already said in our [plan] that Fujian's economic growth rate would be at least two percentage points above the national level every year throughout the 1991-1995 period. Not only that, I believe we Fujianese will certainly surpass this figure again this year,'' Mr Jia said. Although Fujian's economy is only about one-third of that in Guangdong, it has expanded rapidly in the past two years, registering a 20.4 per cent increase in 1992 followed by a staggering 25.4 per cent rise last year. While Mr Jia did caution the delegates in his Government Work Report that inflation still posed the greatest threat to the economy, he said very little about how to control prices except that the Government would increase food supply and strengthen market management. For example, fixed assets investment - a major cause behind the 13.4 per cent inflation last year - is expected to increase 16.8 per cent in 1994 costing the state and the public at least 39.5 billion yuan (HK$35 billion). The 54-year-old Governor confirmed that he would keep his job as the Communist Party Secretary in Fujian and he would become the chairman of the provincial congress at the end of the week-long annual session. Deputy Communist Party Secretary Chen Mingyi, who is also the head of the party's organisation department, will succeed him as governor. Mr Jia said his departure would not hurt relations with Taiwan. Mr Jia reiterated a pledge by the Chinese Government at the weekend that an investigation would be held into the Qiandao Lake tragedy in which 32 people died. He expressed optimism that the tragedy would not jeopardise trade and investment between Fujianand Taiwan.
