CHINA> Regional
Quake-hit Sichuan draws overseas investment
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-09 21:34

The total funds, including those the central and other provincial governments had raised, in addition to overseas donations and lottery earnings, accounted for less than 25 percent of what the reconstruction work demanded.

Huang said the province would rebuild 4.5 million urban and rural homes, 51,000 km of highway, 5,500 km of railway, 11,700 schools and 9,700 medical institutions.

In addition, 2,000 reservoirs, 810 power stations and more than 100,000 hectares of farmland needed restoration.

The reconstruction, expected to consume 37 million tonnes of steel, 370 million tonnes of cement and 210 billion bricks, among other materials, provided great opportunities for both domestic and overseas investors, he noted.

Huang said it wouldn't be a simple reconstruction process but a chance for industrial restructuring and promotion. Some industries that had previously been ignored would be explored after the quake.

In total, 39 rural and mountainous areas in the province had suffered seriously while potential still lay in the core economic zone in Chengdu, the capital, Deyang and Mianyang cities, which hadn't been fatally damaged in the quake, he said.

The national government had also issued a series of policies to support the reconstruction, covering governmental funds, financial and tax preferential policies, resources supplies and subsidized loans.

The reconstruction had attracted worldwide attention, including that of McKinsey and Company, a global management consulting firm focused on solving issues of concern to senior management.

The company issued its "Preliminary report on international investment and assistance needs in Sichuan's post-quake reconstruction" after a thorough investigation of the seriously-hit areas.