On the morning of October 16, 2009, the 10th Western China International Economy and Trade Fair and the 2nd Western China Forum on International Cooperation opened in Chengdu. Premier of the State Council Wen Jiabao attended and addressed the opening ceremony. He stressed that China will comprehensively raise the development and opening-up level of western regions from a strategic perspective and endeavor to build western regions into major clusters of modern industries, demonstrators of balanced urban and rural reform and development, forerunners of ecological civilization construction and an emerging economic growth pole with strategic importance to the whole country.

Also present at the opening ceremony were Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire Soro Kigbafori Guillaume, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka, Timor Leste's Prime Minister Jose Alexandre Xanana Gusmao and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

On behalf of the Chinese government, Wen first of all extended sincere welcome to all the guests. He said that it is a major strategic decision made by the Chinese government ten years ago to develop the western regions. Over the past decade, the Chinese government has consistently increased support for the western regions which have made great achievements of economic, social and cultural progress and ecological environment protection. With remarkable increase of comprehensive economic strength, major breakthroughs of infrastructure construction, clearly strengthened efforts of ecological environment protection, effective improvement of people's livelihood, rapid growth of advantageous industries and in-depth advance of reform and opening up, western regions have entered into a period featured by the fastest growth, best development quality, biggest changes in cities and rural areas and maximum benefit to the people. Practices show that the strategic decision of the Chinese government on western development is totally correct.

He pointed out that China's western regions have suffered the double impacts of serious natural disaster and international financial crisis since last year. When implementing its package plan against the international financial crisis, the Chinese government has unswervingly advanced western development. In the first half of this year, western regions realized the GDP growth rate of 11.8% which was higher than the national average. It should be noted especially that critical interim results of reconstruction after Wenchuan earthquake have been achieved. One after another schools, hospitals, factories, villages, towns and cities have risen straight from the ruins. The earthshaking and heroic efforts of earthquake relief will go down in the glorious history of civilization of China and human society.

He said that the Chinese government released the Opinions on Tackling the International Financial Crisis and Maintaining the Stable and Relatively Fast Economic Development of Western Regions not long ago with the purpose of reinforcing support for western development and enabling western regions to make full use of their advantages of large maneuver room and big growth potential and contribute more to consolidating the rallying momentum of the national economy. January next year marks the 10th anniversary of China's western development strategy, and we are studying to develop another 10-year policy to speed up western development. The Chinese government will never change its determination of implementing the western development strategy. Neither our policy nor support will change.

He stressed that the Chinese government is committed to pursuing the basic national policy of opening up and accelerating the building of an open economic system with internal and external linkage, mutual benefit, security and efficiency. China will make western regions its strategic focal points of development and opening up in the new historical period. He proposed four points of initiative on boosting the all-round cooperation between western regions and surrounding countries and promoting the common development and prosperity of China and the rest of the world.

First, deepen energy and transport cooperation. Western regions should consolidate the outcomes of cooperation in energy resources with surrounding countries and actively attract international energy companies to participate in their energy projects of improving energy efficiency, coal mine disaster prevention and control and coal-bed methane development. The Chinese government will make great efforts to build the international transportation artery of entry and exit in southwest and northwest regions. We are looking forward to reaching consensus with relevant countries on the construction of new Eurasian continental bridge.

Second, deepen trade and investment cooperation. The Chinese government supports the western border regions in expanding trade and economic exchanges and border trade with neighboring countries and will guide foreign investment in the new and high-tech industries, advanced manufacturing sectors, modern agriculture and service industries in the western regions.

Third, deepen cooperation in energy saving and environmental protection. China will actively support the western regions' international cooperation with surrounding and other countries on energy saving and environmental protection and their joint efforts of developing new and renewable energies.

Fourth, deepen regional and international cooperation. The Chinese government welcomes the complete construction of China - ASEAN Free Trade Area as scheduled and will continue to broaden trade and economic cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states, actively push forward the Lancang - Mekong sub-regional cooperation and make careful preparations for the China - ASEAN Expo to be held in Nanning, Guangxi province, the Western China International Economy and Trade Fair and the China-South Asia business forum. We will continue to promote regional financial cooperation.

He noted finally that China's western regions have entered into a new stage of comprehensive development and all-round opening up. We, as always, welcome and support people of insight at home and abroad to invest in western regions, sow the seeds of hope and harvest a bright future.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen also addressed the opening ceremony respectively.

Wen Jiabao visited the 10th Western China International Economy and Trade Fair prior to the ceremony.

Vice chairman of NPC standing committee Chen Changzhi and vice chairman of CPPCC National Committee Huang Mengfu attended the ceremony.

Initiated in 2000, the Western China International Economy and Trade Fair is a national-level international event approved by the State Council especially aiming at accelerating the western development. The 10th Fair was jointly hosted by related State Council departments, central government agencies, 12 western provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and organized by the people's government of Sichuan province.