Asia Inc

 

SICHUAN PROVINCE, the largest and most populous provinces of China, is coming back strongly from the recent earthquake.

 

Known as “Bashu” in ancient China, Sichuan was a region that was populated earlier before many other provinces, with traces and evidences of human settlement dating back to the Stone Ages.

 

The province was also pivotal in the development of Buddhism, literature of the Sui-Tang period, economics in the Song Dynasty where paper money first came into circulation, as well as science and technology in the building of the 

Dujiangyan dams, the production of bronze and the study of maths, astronomy and medicine.

Indeed, the region’s rich culture has helped Sichuan develop its distinct characteristics in language, performing arts, tea and wine appreciation, cuisine and embroidery. 

 

Key landmarks in the province are also famous far and wide, most notably E’Mei Mountain – inspiration and setting for numerous wuxia or swordfighting novels, and the 71-metre-tall Leshan Buddha, which took over 90 years to carve out from a rock face more than a thousand years ago in the Tang Dynasty and a Unesco World Heritage Site. Pandas — China’s de facto mascot of peace and friendship — are also mainly found in the forests of Sichuan.

 

With a land area of 485,000 square kilometres, Sichuan ranks as the fifth largest province in China, after Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Qinghai.

 

As of end 2005, the province’s census showed a population of more than 86 million people, up 0.54% from the previous year. Male to female ratio was at about 52: 48.

 

In 2005, city dwellers earned an average annual income of RMB 

8,386 ($1,220), up 8.8% from the previous year, while rural folk, which comprises 76.7% of the province’s total population, grew their salary by 7% to RMB 5,842 in the same period.

 

Sichuan, which is used by many companies as a base to expand west, like Xinjiang and Tibet, has benefitted from this geographical advantage. 

 

In 2006, the province’s gross domestic product grew 13.3% to RMB 863.78 billion. The proportion of primary, secondary and tertiary industries is as follow: 33.3%, 62.2% and 4.5% respectively. 

 

The province’s industrial output has also increased. In 2006, the total value of industrial production was up 21.5% to RMB 314.47 billion, contributing more than half to the province’s economic growth in the same period. Some key industrial sectors include equipment manufacturing, agriculture, high-technology as well as the extraction of minerals. 

 

Trade and foreign direct investment also grew at a rapid pace. In 2006, trade from Sichuan was up 39.5% to RMB 11.02 billion, driven mainly by a 40.9% jump in exports to RMB 6.62 billion. In the same period, foreign direct investments surged 53.1% to RMB 109.64 billion, and an estimated 125 of the top 500 companies of the world have set up operations within the province. 

 

As the province’s economy grew, so did the local government’s tax receipts. In 2006, the provincial government collected an additional 24.6% in tax revenue to RMB103.48 billion.  — Chan Chao Peh

Party Secretary Liu Qibao

Liu was appointed to his current position last December. He was born in January 1953 in Anhui province and joined the Communist Party in December 1971 and started working in 1974. Liu earned a masters degree in national economics planning and management from Jilin University in February 1992. Over the years, Liu has taken up postings in the party mainly in various propaganda departments in Anhui. He was once the deputy chief editor of The People’s Daily. Liu’s first provincial level appointment was in September 2000 when he was made vice-secretary of the Guangxi Autonomous Region, and further promoted to the party secretary in June 2006, before assuming his current appointment.

Governor Jiang Jufeng

Jiang was born in October 1948 in Zhejiang province. He joined the Communist Party in July 1982 and was a graduate of Fudan University in Shanghai, majoring in political economy. Jiang served as an economics lecturer at Hangzhou University between July 1982 and September 1983. He has also held various appointments in townships and cities of Zhejiang, in charge of areas like policy-making and propaganda. In March 2002, Jiang was promoted to become the vice-secretary of Sichuan province, and took on the additional appointment of vice-governor in April 2002. He was subsequently made the acting governor in January 2007 and governor four months later.