Ladies and gentlemen, in this beautiful autumn, I am very happy to welcome the distinguished guests to China West Forum 2001 in the ancient capital Xi’an, an age-old and mysterious city full of dynamism of the modern era.

Taking this opportunity, /I would like to take this opportunity to brief you on the new opportunites for foreign investment in the west after China joins the WTO.

We hope to further encourage foreign business people to take an active part in the development of western regions, so as to advance the economic and social development of the vast western areas.

The first half of this year has seen a significant development / progress in (our) absorbing foreign capital / investment in the western regions: 742 foreign=invested enterprises have been set up, using in effect a foreign capital of $710 million.