Lying 4000 kilometers apart with one place at the eastern side of the country and the other place at the Gobi desert of northwest China, Wuxi and Akchi have forged partnership in the promotion of the paired assistance program for the poverty alleviation campaign in the border area.
The city of Wuxi from the region of rivers and lakes in southern Jiangsu was paired in 2007 to assist Akchi County in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
In 2014, authorities in Wuxi injected 50 million yuan for the construction of 64 farmyards at a village in Akchi, a poverty-stricken country under the direct assistance of the central government.
The village has since been able to promote tourism development by bringing into full play their distinctive ethnic homes and the breathtaking sceneries.
Over the past decade, Akchi has built 2700 sets of dwellings for 80% of the local farmers and herdsmen with full access to road, water, electricity, heating and gas.
In the meantime, authorities in Wuxi have focused on the instructions for industrial development rather than providing aid only.
A comprehensive investigation made by experts from Wuxi has prompted the local government to develop sea buckthorn industry to produce sea buckthorn juice.
The sea buckthorn industry has now become a major driving force behind the economic growth in Akchi by registering nearly 10 million yuan of sales last year, enabling the local villagers to earn several thousands yuan each month.
Over the past decade, Wuxi has carried out more than 100 paired assistance projects in Xinjiang, covering infrastructure, industrial development, social undertakings, cadre training, and so on, with a total investment of over 1 billion yuan, of which more than 350 million yuan has been allocated by the special fund for the paired assistance program.
Akchi has been able to strengthen its pulse of development with the aid of Wuxi, which has contributed to the improvement of education and medical services and the emergence of industry and tourism.
