China's developed regions to aid Tibetan areas

BEIJING: In a bid to speed up development in autonomous prefectures and counties outside Tibet, China's four developed regions will provide one-to-one aid to nurture labour-intensive industries and create more jobs for local people.

The Chinese central cabinet directed Tianjin, Shanghai, Zhejiang Province and Guangdong Province to aid four Tibetan autonomous prefectures and two autonomous counties in provinces of Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan from 2014 to 2020.

Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan need support to help them maintain social stability, improve people's livelihood and protect the environment, the cabinet said in the plan released today.

"The one-to-one aid policy is expected to accelerate development in these areas and has important and far-reaching significance," it said.

According to the plan, the rich coastal regions will help Tibetans upgrade education facilities and train local teachers.

The assistance also aims to promote tourism, traditional medicine and handcrafts, besides nurturing labour-intensive industries and create more jobs for local people.

College graduates will be welcomed to find employment or start a business in their supporting municipality or province, state-run Xinhua news agency.

In addition, Tianjin, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Guangdong are expected to make progress in public services, infrastructures and ecological conservation.

The Tibetan plateau was divided into several small prefectures in addition to Tibet Autonomous region.

Tibetans mainly live in Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu, besides Tibet.