Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10CHENGDU21
2010-01-27 11:56:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Consulate Chengdu
Cable title:  

SW CHINA: LIQUOR AND INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT FUEL YIBIN'S

Tags:  ECON EINV ECIN ELTN ENRG SENV PGOV CH 
pdf how-to read a cable
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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3710
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000021 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EINV ECIN ELTN ENRG SENV PGOV CH
SUBJECT: SW CHINA: LIQUOR AND INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT FUEL YIBIN'S
GROWTH; GREENING ENERGY; CITIZEN PETITIONS FIGHT CORRUPTION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000021

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EINV ECIN ELTN ENRG SENV PGOV CH
SUBJECT: SW CHINA: LIQUOR AND INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT FUEL YIBIN'S
GROWTH; GREENING ENERGY; CITIZEN PETITIONS FIGHT CORRUPTION


1. (U) This cable contains sensitive but unclassified
information - not for distribution on the Internet.




2. (SBU) Summary: Yibin Mayor Wu Guanglei told Consul General
January 7 that the city's economy grew by 15 percent in 2009; he
expected 14 percent growth in 2010. Wuliangye, China's largest
liquor producer, is striving to become more energy efficient.
Road, rail, and airport projects will increase Yibin's regional
integration. Wind and nuclear power will likely figure in the
city's future energy mix. Wu said that Yibin's petition system
works: citizen complaints led to the removal and punishment of
three government officials last year. End Summary.



Liquor, Chemicals, and Infrastructure

Push Yibin's Economy Forward

--------------




3. (SBU) Mayor Wu Guanglei said Yibin's economy grew by 15
percent in 2009, and he expects it to achieve 14 percent growth
in 2010. One driving force behind the city's economic
development is liquor producer Wuliangye. (Note: A late 2009
press report claimed that 70 percent of Yibin residents' income
was directly or indirectly tied to Wuliangye. End Note.) Two
other economically important firms in Yibin are Tianyuan,
China's largest producer of polyvinyl chloride, and Siliya,
which produces artificial fibers.




4. (SBU) Infrastructure investment is also a major contributor
to Yibin's economic growth. Yibin plans to push ahead with
several large projects. In addition to development of a
23-berth port facility at the head of the Yangtze River
(septel),Yibin is also building transportation links under the
"6631" regional development project. The 6631 Project calls for
the construction of six expressways, six railroads, and three
"ones" -- one "golden waterway," one airport, and one river
port. A rail line connecting Yibin to Guiyang and Chengdu, and
expressways to Leshan and Luzhou, are already under
construction. The city plans to build a 900 million RMB (USD
132 million) airport by 2014 that will accommodate Boeing 747s.



Emission Reductions; Investment in Clean Energy; Forests

-------------- --------------




5. (SBU) Wu said that Yibin had far to go in improving its
energy efficiency. Wu predicted, nevertheless, that Yibin would
achieve the national energy reduction goals of the 11th
Five-Year Program, which ends in 2010. (Note: The 11th
Five-Year Program calls for a 20 percent reduction in energy
intensity this year, compared to 2005. End Note.) He said that
Wuliangye, as one example, was converting waste into fuel.




6. (SBU) Yibin hopes to build a nuclear power plant in the city,
but the plan is still in its very early stages. Wu said wind
power would also help Yibin reduce emissions. Yibin has the
second largest urban forested park in China, with forest
coverage averaging 35 percent.



Address Citizen Concerns through Petitions; Fighting Corruption

-------------- --------------




7. (SBU) Mayor Wu said that social conflicts arise, and citizens
naturally make requests to the government. For example, the
many demolitions of old housing brought by economic growth were
causing more conflicts. Wu said that citizen petitions to the
government on official malfeasance were handled separately from
other requests and complaints, and sometimes resulted in

CHENGDU 00000021 002 OF 002


investigations. In 2009, three Yibin officials were removed
from their posts and punished as a result of citizen's
petitions, he stressed. (Note: According to press reports, Vice
Mayor Cheng Guangli was fired in March 2009 for playing too much
mahjong and other unspecified offenses
(tinyurl.com/yibin-mahjong),while in October 2009, the former
head of Yibin's Baihu district branch of the State Tax Bureau
was sentenced to 10 years in prison for raping a young girl
(tinyurl.com/yibin-tax).




8. (U) In mid 2009, two counties under Yibin City started an
anti-corruption experiment that requires senior officials and
their families to register their income and assets, and submit
to financial scrutiny (tinyurl.com/yibin-reporting).
Seventy-five officials came under this program in 2009; it will
soon expand to cover 400 officials.
BROWN