The "project to send electricity from the west to the east," the "project to transmit natural gas from the west to the east," and the "project to divert water from the south to the north" are three major strategic projects of the Chinese government to change the overall arrangement of economic development and realize reasonable allocation of national resources. By making use of hydropower and coal resources in west China, and constructing electricity-transmission passageways, the "project to send electricity from the west to the east" is in full swing, involving a total investment of 116 billion yuan. Half of the "project to transmit natural gas from the west to the east" was completed by the end of 2002. With a total investment of 300 billion yuan, this project—which starts from the west and goes to the cities in north and east China—includes a 4,200-km pipeline running through nine provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. The construction of the "project to divert water from the south to the north" formally started on December 27, 2002. The goal is to complete the firstphase of the project, involving a total investment of 156 billion yuan, by 2010 to solve the serious deficiency of water resources in north China and to realize a reasonable allocation of the water resources of the Yangtze, Yellow, Huaihe and Haihe river valleys.
