Ｍｏｖｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　Ｉｎｔｅｒｉｏｒ：Ｉｎｄｕｓｔｒｉｅｓ　Ｒｅｌｏｃａｔｅ　Ｗｅｓｔ.docVIP

Ｍｏｖｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　Ｉｎｔｅｒｉｏｒ：Ｉｎｄｕｓｔｒｉｅｓ　Ｒｅｌｏｃａｔｅ　Ｗｅｓｔ 　　THROUGH all the years he has held his post, Wang Ji has been on a never-ending hunt for potential investors. As chief of the Domestic Investment Promotion Department at the Xi’anHi-tech Industrial Park in Shaanxi Province, he has long struggled to attract investors from China’s developed east. Recently, however, he has sensed a change in the wind as a growing number of corporations have started approaching him. During the 13th China East-West Cooperation and Investment Trade Fair last April, he secured a record RMB 24.1 billion in investment deals. 　　 　　 　　Financial Crisis Driving Corporations Inland 　　 　　“In some ways the financial crisis has opened up new opportunities for western China,” says Wang Ji. For decades development of the interior has been impeded by factors such as capital shortfalls, depleted resources and a limited number of graduates willing to work in the region. “If the current economic slowdown prompts industries in the east to head inland, we will see big leaps in growth.” 　　During the East-West Fair, Zhejiang Province’s Taizhou Yongheng Electricity Construction Co., Ltd. signed a RMB 300 million contract to build a power station in Yunnan Province on China抯 southwestern bordner. According to the company’s general manager Chen Wenxin, the investment is part of a long-term strategy. 　　 　　“In recent years the coastal areas in eastern China have been straining to cope with the under supply of major production resources, such as land, labor, water, power and gas. This has pushed up production costs, and put greater pressure on the environment and population. In addition, the upgrading of industrial structure in the Yangtze and Pearl River Deltas has meant many old industries have had to relocate to make way for high-end manufacturing and modern services.” 　　Mr. Chen acknowledges that preferential policies, as well as cheap land and labor in western China are a big enticement for his company