Germany offers to assist western China with urbanization

Chancellor says area must focus on long-term development

Germany is willing to help the western part of China achieve sustainable development during its ongoing urbanization, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Chengdu on Sunday.

The western region has its own unique opportunity during China's urbanization drive, Merkel said at a forum on Sunday in Chengdu, Sichuan province, which is the first leg of her seventh official China trip, which started on Sunday.

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The western region doesn't have to copy models from the eastern region, she said. Instead, it should take an approach toward efficient and sustainable development that will last not just 10 or 20 years, but much longer, she said.

Merkel said that although Chengdu is an old city, "from another perspective it is young and modern" because it is going through such rapid change during urbanization.

Chengdu, with an urbanization rate of only 45 percent, will face rapid changes as it tries to accommodate an additional 1 million migrants a year.

Such change must be effectively guided, she said. "We've been paying close attention to China's change, not only in coastal regions, but also in the west."

She said energy efficiency and conservation have been a significant topic in Germany, and that enterprises from both sides could make use of the opportunity to strengthen cooperation.

Germany would love to help China, including Sichuan, deliver their overall urbanization development strategy, she said.