The northwest region, the largest and least populated among all six geographical regions in China, is witnessing increasingly heavier population burden with the country's fastest population growth.

"Northwest region's population grows at a fastest pace in the country and the proportion of its population to the national total has risen constantly, which exerts great pressure on ecology, resources and environment," said Zhang Weiqing, minister in charge of the National Population and Family Planning Commission at the on-going Northwest China Forum on Population and Development.

According to a report on northwest region's population and development, the region, comprised of three provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai and two autonomous regions Ningxia and Xinjiang, had seen a 15.37 per thousand population growth rate in the period of 1982-2000, when the fifth national census was conducted, 14.6 percent higher than the national level.

The population proportion of west region to the national total rose from 6.50 percent in the early 1970s to 7.23 percent in 2003, standing at over 90 million.

The number, said demographers would easily exceed 100 million by 2015 if the population continues to grow at current rate.

Relatively relaxed family planning policy in the region has partially contributed to the population increase as around 20 percent of its residents are ethnic minorities, which are generally allowed to have two or three children in consideration of their ethnic conditions.

More importantly, low productivity and a mainly agriculture or husbandry-based economy have underlined the importance of the traditional concept of "more children, more secured old life".

According to the report by the China Population and Development Research Center, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the northwest region accounted for only 5.42 percent of the country and 143 out of 592 counties below the poverty line are in the region.

In 2003, only Gansu and Xinjiang saw their average schooling years above the national level of 7.86 years, with Qinghai being the lowest of 6.67 years.

"The birth concept hasn't been changed fundamentally, the number of kids raised by one woman in a life hasn't fallen below the population replacement level and the population trap of more births at poor families hasn't been eliminated," the report said.

Rapid population growth has exerted a strain on resources in the region, the report said, where the average water consumption stood at 846.12 cubic meters per capita, two times over the national level in 2003.

Overgrazing by increasing population has worsened ecological environment as over 90 percent of grassland has deteriorated in the region. The regional arable land is also expected to drop by 4 million hectares from 2005 to 2020, meaning yearly grain output would fall by 2.3 million tons.

"We have the need to keep the population growth rate at a low level and transform China from a populous country to a country enjoying sound population development," said Jiang Zhenghua, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

Demographers suggested in the report that a long-term interest-oriented mechanism should be established to give more financial support to people, the poor in particular, to stimulate lower population growth and ensure the regional population to be less than 99 million by 2010.

Meanwhile, they called on the government to increase financial input to expand access to compulsory education, improve a labor market information system and develop industries, such as energy-saving industry and tourism industry, to create more job opportunities.

(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2005)