Southwest province's stress on role of infrastructure leads to economic growth
High bridges are landmarks and architectural wonders worldwide, but in the mountainous region in Southwest China, some of the world's highest bridges have taken on an unusual role - combating poverty.
Sun Zhigang, Party secretary of Guizhou province, said on Friday that the province, after decadeslong efforts to boost infrastructure, is now home to 47 of the world's highest 100 bridges, earning the title "global center of bridges".
The bridges among the mountains and hills - which account for more than 90 percent of Guizhou's landmass - are helping turn the once isolated province into a gateway in Southwest China, boosting tourism and investment, and helping lift local farmers out of poverty, he said at a news conference held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing.
Figures provided by the Guizhou provincial government show that its highway mileage topped 6,453 kilometers last year, the seventh longest nationwide.
Its 11 airports handled more than 20 million passengers last year, and it is also emerging as a regional hub for high-speed trains as its mileage reached almost 1,300 kilometers last year, official data show.
"The progress has contributed greatly to Guizhou's economic growth, and lifted its strategic status in regional economic cooperation," he said.
Sun said the improvements have led to a surge in the flows of people, goods and information, and contributed to the growth of investments and tourism.
Guizhou brought in 7,317 programs from outside the province last year, with an actual investment of more than 1 trillion yuan ($141 billion). It also saw 567 million visits by individual travelers on driving tours, year-on-year growth of 21.6 percent, he said.
The province was one of the country's most underdeveloped regions when China ramped up targeted relief efforts in 2012 to eradicate absolute poverty before 2020.
Nearly 7.7 million farmers shook off poverty between 2013 and last year in Guizhou, with the poverty rate dropping from 26.8 percent to 4.3 percent, thanks to a slew of measures to boost local industry.
During the same period, the government in Guizhou also launched a massive campaign that saw 1.88 million poor farmers relocated out of mountainous regions unfit for living, with vocational training and jobs available.
As the deadline for the zero-poverty goal draws close, local authorities plan to prioritize building rural infrastructure to lay the foundation for sustainable growth and to help prevent farmers from slipping back into poverty, according to Sun.
"We have paved nearly 80,000 kilometers of rural road and made traveling easier for 12 million farmers," he said, adding that authorities will continue to invest in the roadways connecting counties and towns and let them facilitate poverty relief.
