The Information Office of the Zhejiang provincial government gave a briefing about the province's latest assignment, as well as its previous performance in China's east-west economic cooperation program, at a news conference held in the provincial capital of Hangzhou on May 31.

The national program, launched by the central government in 1996, has seen the more prosperous provinces and municipalities, which are mostly coastal regions in East China, lend support to the underdeveloped regions, which are mostly located in western parts of China.

Zhejiang's previous assignments in the program involved economic cooperation with 80 counties in Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, and Jilin provinces.

According to the central government's recent arrangement, Zhejiang is now tasked with providing economic assistance for 68 counties in Southwest China's Sichuan province. Sichuan has a total of 183 counties.

To be more specific, 13 counties in Hangzhou are paired with 12 counties in Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture and six counties in Guangyuan; 10 counties in Ningbo are paired with 11 counties in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture; as well as seven counties in Wenzhou are paired with two counties in Nanchong and five counties in Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture.

Four counties in Huzhou are paired with one county in Guangan and three counties in Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture; six counties in Jiaxing are paired with one county in Yibin and five counties in Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture; four counties in Shaoxing are paired with four counties in Leshan; as well as six counties in Jinhua are paired with four counties in Bazhong and two counties in Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture.

Two counties in Quzhou are paired with two counties in Mianyang; two counties in Zhoushan are paired with two counties in Dazhou; six counties in Taizhou are paired with two counties in Nanchong and four counties in Ganzi Tibetan autonomous prefecture; as well as two counties in Lishui are paired with two counties in Luzhou.

Since 2016, Zhejiang has sent 100 cadres and more than 3,000 technology experts to work in Sichuan for a set period of time. It has also invested 5.28 billion yuan ($827.9 million) in more than 1,700 economic assistance projects in the province.

Gui Liqing (middle), deputy head of Beichuan Qiang autonomous county in Sichuan province, assesses the progress on the construction of a local industrial park, which is invested by Quzhou authorities in Zhejiang province. Gui had been a government official in Quzhou before being sent to Sichuan in 2018. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]