The CCP Central Committee and the State Council on May 17, issued a document announced for development of China’s western regions for the next 15 years. Its goal is that by 2035, the western regions need to basically be on par with China’s prosperous east in terms of: socialist modernisation; basic public services; Infrastructure development; and living standards. Among the proposals is to leverage foreign investment by facilitating land use for foreign-invested projects; opening up the agricultural industry to foreign investment; ensuring equal market access for foreign investors; and expanding the encouraged industry list for foreign investment.

(Comment: The western region comprises the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shaanxi, Ningxia-Hui Autonomous Region, Gansu, Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region, Qinghai, Tibet Autonomous Region, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and the Guangxi-Zhuang Autonomous Region.)