China's Qinghai Quake Zones' GDP to be Quadrupled by 2015

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the quake zones in China's far northwestern Qinghai Province would be quadrupled by 2015 on the basis of that of last year, Luo Huining, governor of the province said here Friday.

"By the end of China's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), the GDP in Qinghai quake zones would reach four times as much as that of 2009, with the service industry accounting for 45 percent of it," Luo said during an exclusive interview with Xinhua, exactly 100 days after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Yushu in April.

The earthquake left 2,698 people dead and 270 missing.

Luo said local authorities would focus on improving public services and promoting urbanization of the quake zones during the reconstruction phase.

According to Luo, authorities would try to help all farmers and herdsmen in the region settle down within three years, upgrade their housing facilities, and provide them with basic access to safe drinking water.

"By the end of this year, local government would invest 5.55 billion yuan to rebuild 80 percent of farmers' houses in the quake zones," Luo said. Total investment in housing reconstruction in the regions would reach 9.6 billion yuan within three years.

All villages would be connected by roads within three years, Luo said, adding that living standards of the farmers and herdsmen should be improved significantly.

In the meantime, Luo said the government would set up an all-inclusive public service network, covering education, health, culture and other aspects, to promote equal access to public services.

"Schools and hospitals shall become the safest buildings in the quake zones," he said.

The governor also pledged to improve infrastructure and to upgrade and trasform the regions's economic growth pattern more rapidly.

Environmental protection in the region would be also improved "by a large margin" in three years, while local ethnic cultural heritages would be better protected, he said.