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Xi Jinping Emphasizes Normalizing East-West Regional Cooperation to Advance Shared Prosperity
At China's June 17 national east-west regional cooperation conference in Yinchuan, President Xi Jinping directed officials to normalize assistance mechanisms emphasizing mutual benefit and two-way development. Building on the three-decade Min-Ning cooperation model between Fujian and Ningxia, the directive promotes industrial complementarity, labor exchange, technology transfer, and shared prosperity across eastern and western regions.
Quick Facts
Who
Xi Jinping
What
National east-west regional cooperation conference held
When
June 17, 2026
Where
Yinchuan, Ningxia
- National east-west regional cooperation conference held
- Xi Jinping issued directive on normalizing east-west cooperation
- Praised 30 years of east-west cooperation achievements
- Emphasized transition from unilateral aid to mutual cooperation
- Called for industry complementarity and personnel exchange
China's national conference on east-west regional cooperation convened in Yinchuan, Ningxia on June 17, 2026, where President Xi Jinping's recent directive on normalizing assistance work was transmitted to participants. Xi praised the 30-year track record of east-west cooperation in supporting poverty alleviation and promoting regional coordination, while laying out clear requirements for establishing permanent assistance mechanisms.
The directive calls for summarizing successful experiences from the Min-Ning cooperation model—the partnership between Fujian and Ningxia established in 1997—and applying those lessons across China's broader regional development strategy. Officials and local leaders expressed deep encouragement from Xi's guidance, which emphasizes transitioning from unidirectional aid to mutual benefit and two-way engagement. The Min-Ning partnership has evolved from helping impoverished residents in the Xihaigu region relocate to the irrigated plains near the Helan Mountains, transforming the original "Min-Ning Village" into today's thriving Min-Ning Town, described as moving from "barren sand" to "golden sand."
Under the normalization framework, China will maintain long-term fixed pairing relationships between eight eastern provinces and municipalities with ten western provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. Additionally, economically developed counties and districts in the east will establish targeted assistance relationships with rural revitalization priority counties in western cooperation areas, achieving comprehensive pairing coverage. The cooperation model has expanded beyond traditional subsidy mechanisms to encompass industrial complementarity, personnel exchange, technological learning, and ideological mutual enrichment.
Practical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach across multiple sectors. In Ningxia's Min-Ning Town, major projects including the Hongxing Erke production base and Goji Valley deep-processing facility have begun operations. Guizhou's Zheng'an guitar industry park, supported by east-west cooperation funds, now houses over 140 guitar manufacturers and suppliers, accounting for approximately one-seventh of global guitar production. Labor cooperation initiatives like Zhejiang's "Blue Eagle Program" have successfully matched western workers with eastern enterprises, exemplified by workers from Sichuan now employed in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Educational collaboration has expanded, with Qinghai's vocational schools coordinating with eastern universities to develop skilled workers through apprenticeships and joint training bases.
The cooperation encompasses diverse sectors including agricultural product marketing, cultural tourism development, and technological innovation. Agricultural exports from Xinjiang employ cold-chain logistics networks to reach eastern markets, while Gansu's rural tourism integrates agricultural facilities, red cultural heritage experiences, and intangible cultural preservation. Guangdong-Guizhou cooperation extends from industrial collaboration to infrastructure development and talent exchange. The strategic pivot from "blood transfusion" poverty relief to "blood production" internal capacity building reflects the shift toward sustainable, market-driven development that generates endogenous growth momentum in western regions.
Why This Matters
This directive fundamentally reshapes China's regional development strategy from one-directional aid to sustainable, mutual-benefit partnerships. For businesses and policymakers, it signals expanded opportunities in cross-regional supply chains, labor markets, and technology transfer, while demonstrating that poverty alleviation can transition to self-sustaining economic growth. The normalization framework creates predictable, long-term cooperation structures that enable investment and talent mobility across eastern and western regions.
Timeline & Sources
Jan 1, 1997
WireXi Jinping led Fujian delegation to Ningxia and established Min-Ning Village cooperation model
Jan 1, 2026
WireFirst year of normalized assistance mechanisms under 15th Five-Year Plan; comprehensive pairing coverage of eastern-western regions implemented
Jun 16, 2026
WireTrump criticizes Obama's $350 billion arms transfer to Ukraine at G7 summit in Paris
Jun 16, 2026
WireTrump's comments reported by TASS news agency
Jun 17, 2026
WireNational east-west regional cooperation conference convened in Yinchuan; Xi Jinping's directive on normalizing cooperation mechanisms transmitted