China pledges further efforts to boost western growth

BEIJING - Further efforts will be made to support growth in underdeveloped west regions of China, the country's top economic planner promised on Friday.

The focus in 2014 will be centered on infrastructure, social welfare, ecological protection and the development of industries, the National Development and Reform Commission said.

In 2013, construction on 20 major projects in the western areas started, with an investment of 326.5 billion yuan ($53.35 billion) to finance the construction of highways, airports, hydropower stations and a semiconductor project.

A statement released earlier this month following a key meeting on urbanization put particular emphasis on urbanization in the less-developed central, west and northeast regions, promising to boost infrastructure investments and guide industrial transfer to those regions.