November 20, 2009---A Conference on the Competitive Industry Promotion for National Anti-poverty Collaboration and also a Fair on Attracting Investment was organized from November 18 – 19, 2009 by the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) and People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,  in Nanning, Guangxi province. NPC Standing Committee Vice Chairman Zhou Tienong inaugurated the meeting.. Head of the Leading Group and Chief of Staff Fan Xiaojian, ACFIC Vice Chairman Sun Anmin, and Chairman of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region People’s Government Ma Biao addressed the opening ceremony.

A total of over 1,000 delegates from the anti-poverty offices of 21 mid-western provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), 110 key poverty alleviation counties (municipalities and banners ?). ,Over 200 Chinese and foreign enterprises were present at the opening ceremony. The Fair aimed to further implement the guidelines laid down by the 17th CPC National Congress and its Third and Fourth Plenary Session.  The fair also facilitated to fully promote the Scientific Outlook on Development, mobilize social forces to participate in the poverty alleviation causes, explore the new mechanism for enterprise participation into anti-poverty activities, boost the dynamism for development in poor areas and also to increase of farmers’ income substantially  building a sustainable and  harmonious socialist society in poverty stricken areas. With the endorsement of the government, the first national service platform of its kind was built to facilitate enterprises to do business and assist the poverty alleviation programs in the mid-western region through direct exchanges, interaction and discussion. According to  preliminary data, 175 investment projects were signed in total between 90 counties and 126 businesses, covering various fields including crop production, husbandry, mining, pharmaceuticals, textile, processing of agro-products and infrastructure construction.  The gross investment reached 50.9 billion yuan.

Centered around the theme of “collaboration, mutual benefit, harmony and development”, and with investment deliberations as its focus and industrial tie-in as the link, the conference fully demonstrated the resource, industry and market advantages for the poverty-stricken areas. It also encouraged and guided the enterprises of eastern coastal developed areas, private ones in particular, to make investments and start businesses in less developed mid-western areas. Through this platform, and with the principle of “complementary advantages, mutual benefit, common development and win-win result”, both the enterprises and the poverty-stricken areas will conduct cooperation on industrial development.  Such measures will transform the local resource advantages to industry leading to more economic growth.. It will also explore into the mechanisms featuring “enterprises promoting industries, industries guiding farmers, and farmers seeing their income increased”, and jointly spur the sustainable development of the poor areas.

Over the six decades since the founding of P. R. C., particularly in the 30 years of reform and opening up, remarkable achievements have been made in China’s poverty alleviation endeavours. The number of  population living in poverty has been reduced, farmers’ income raised steadily, infrastructure improved, social programs positively changed, and regional economic development accelerated. All these laid a strong foundation for building a moderately prosperous society in a comprehensive manner.. Since entering the 21st century, the socioeconomic development of China has witnessed new and profound changes. With higher goals and heavier burdens, the anti-poverty actions in a new phase requires continued common concern, participation and efforts from various sectors of the society, among which enterprises, as the foremost market player, need to  play an increasingly important role in this regard.  

In the new phase of poverty reduction activities, participation of enterprises is a key . The CPC Central Committee and the State Council have constantly attached greater importance to the critical role of the social forces in advancing poverty alleviation. The Third Plenary Session of the 17th CPC National Congress has  pointed out in its Decisions, that “give positive roles to businesses, schools, scientific research institutions, armies and various social sectors in poverty reduction”.

Currently, the total number of Chinese enterprises is 16 times that of the early days of reform and opening up. Among the Fortune 500 of 2008, Chinese companies outnumbered their British counterparts, while almost at par with Germany and France .  As a form of modern economic organization, China’s enterprises have undergone tremendous changes in terms of their number, type and core competitiveness compared with the starting years of reform and opening up. On one hand, the rapid development of enterprises makes it possible for them to invest in the poor areas and participate in the anti-poverty work; on the other, it, in turn, earns the enterprises new opportunities for development in line with the needs for business development.

Fan Xiaojian noted in the fair that participation of enterprises in the anti-poverty work might create a substantial atmosphere for commodity production and market economy in the poor areas, stimulating the vigor for development on a fundamental basis.  It has a more direct impact on the resource exploitation, industrial development and structural adjustment and can achieve more sustained effect of increase in income.  This will not only provide capital and technologies to the poorer areas, but more importantly enhance their capacity for self-development and overall competitiveness. Participation of enterprises will also enrich further promotion of development-oriented poverty alleviation, and thus push forward the institutional innovations. A key approach to help the impoverished eradicate poverty is to effectively tie up the most capable enterprises with the poorest groups requiring urgent support.

The Fair conducted exchanges and discussions on attracting investment and financing in mid-western areas as well as preferential policies enjoyed by enterprises from eastern developed areas in the process of investing in key mid-western poorer counties. It also shared and explored the effective methods for participation of enterprises and  establishing relevant incentive mechanisms. During the meeting, representatives of enterprises jointly issued a proposal titled “Fulfill Corporate Social Responsibility, Actively Participate in Poverty Alleviation”, calling on the entrepreneurs to learn more about the rich bio ,, mineral and human resources in the poorer areas, the needs of the impoverished farmers , of production systems, improving their  living conditions and to increase income , as well as policy measures regarding enterprises participation in poverty alleviation. The enterprises were expected to actively join the anti-poverty forces and promote the sustainable development of the entire population while achieving that of the enterprise, thus contributing to the building of a harmonious society.

Conference delegates believed that in the overall national scenario where the Central Government proposed to expand domestic demand and secure economic growth, people’s livelihood and social stability to address the international financial crisis, the Fair not only found a way to promote the valuable resources and key projects in the poverty-stricken areas, but also helped enterprises to find more investment opportunities and open up new space for development.  It is consistent with the trend of  transfer of industries from eastern developed areas to mid-western China, and further improved the sense of social responsibility among entrepreneurs, achieving the intended goal of government providing support, enterprises playing the key role, and poorer areas reaping benefits.