Plans for China's west trumpeted

The development plan includes a west-east gas pipeline

China has announced that its plan to develop poorer western regions of the country is on track.

	Western development Tibet-Qinghai railway West-east pipeline 50,000 km of roads See also: China's regional concerns

Officials involved in the five-year "Develop-the-West" programme held a press conference on Tuesday on the sidelines of the ruling Communist Party's Congress in Beijing.

Their upbeat assessment came as delegates to the Congress prepared to vote on a new leadership line-up. Nearly all China's current senior leaders are set to stand down, having passed the unofficial retirement age.

China's western development strategy was launched in 1999 and is intended to redress economic imbalance between a booming eastern seaboard and the barren expanses of the west.

On track

Li Zibin, deputy director of the State Council office responsible for western development, said that the gross domestic product in those regions had maintained a growth rate of 9.6% in the first three quarters of this year - higher than the national average.

He said that a number of major infrastructure projects, including a gas pipeline between the west and east and the Qinghai-Tibet railway - which will connect Tibet with Han China.

Activists have expressed disquiet at the western development plan, arguing that in addition to its economic targets, it is aimed at cultural assimilation.

Wen Jiabao, China's current vice-premier, is a key backer of the strategy.

He is thought likely to become premier in the leadership shake-up.

Rumours

But nobody is certain who will be promoted, such is the secrecy surrounding the selection process.

Li Ruihuan, who has spent 13 years as chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference - a largely ceremonial advisory body - has been considered a frontrunner to become head of China's parliament.

But there are now rumours that he will not be given any role in the new powerful Party Standing Committee.

A delegate at the Congress told the French news agency AFP on Monday that he had seen the list of candidates for the 350-member Central Committee, which the Standing Committee is chosen from, and Mr Li's name was not there.

This prompted speculation that the liberal Mr Li had been forced to step down by his long-term rival, Party chief Jiang Zemin.

Mr Jiang, 76, looks set to step down himself, but he has been trying to get several key supporters appointed to powerful positions.

Every expectation is that the new Party chief will be the current vice-president, Hu Jintao, 59.

But even Party sources say the new leaders will not be known for sure until the new standing committee emerges from behind a screen in the Great Hall of the People on Friday.