China's developed regions to aid Tibetan areas

Four developed regions in China will provide one-to-one help to Tibetan autonomous prefectures and counties outside Tibet, according to an action plan released this weekend.

The State Council said in the plan that Tianjin, Shanghai, Zhejiang Province and Guangdong Province have been selected 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 livelihoods and protect the environment, the cabinet said in the plan.

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

According to the plan, the rich coastal regions will help Tibetans upgrade education facilities and train local teachers. Colleges in the four regions will receive more Tibetan students.

The assistance also aims to modernize the husbandry industry in the Tibetan areas and promote tourism, traditional medicine and handcrafts. The four regions will nurture labor-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.

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

Beside Tibet, the minority mainly live in Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu.