For a long time, infrastructure construction has been a “shortcoming” that urgently needs to be addressed in the development of ethnic regions. Sichuan recently issued a document requiring that by 2020, all counties (cities, districts) form at least two external highway corridors of Grade III or above, and basically achieve fiber-optic and 4G network coverage in all administrative villages in ethnic regions.

According to the requirements, during the “13th Five-Year Plan” period, Sichuan will accelerate highway infrastructure construction in ethnic regions, focus on opening up external corridors, further promote the extension of expressways to ethnic regions, and accelerate the upgrading of national and provincial trunk highways in ethnic regions. By 2020, all counties (cities, districts) will have at least two external highway corridors of Grade III or above. The rural highway network will be accelerated and improved, achieving asphalt roads in all townships (towns) and hardened roads in all incorporated villages in ethnic regions.

In strengthening water conservancy facilities, a number of key water conservancy projects and major river regulation projects will be implemented. The regulation of small and medium-sized rivers will be continuously strengthened, and the regional flood control, drought resistance, disaster reduction, and water storage capacities in ethnic regions will be improved. Water-saving irrigation technologies will be vigorously promoted, and projects such as pipeline water conveyance, sprinkler irrigation, and drip irrigation will be accelerated.

In accelerating energy development and construction, focus will be on the construction of large hydropower stations in the “Three Rivers” basins of Jinsha River, Dadu River, and Yalong River. In areas with abundant sunlight resources such as Ganzi Prefecture, Aba Prefecture, and Liangshan Prefecture, photovoltaic poverty alleviation projects will be steadily advanced. The construction of wind power bases in Liangshan Prefecture will be orderly promoted, and demonstration projects for biomass energy development and utilization will be built in other suitable areas. The upgrading and transformation of power grids in ethnic regions will be vigorously promoted, and issues such as overload and low voltage in rural power grids in ethnic regions will be comprehensively addressed.

In promoting the development of communications and radio and television, Sichuan Province requires actively promoting fiber-to-the-village, flexibly using various wireless technologies to achieve broadband network coverage, and effectively solving problems such as inadequate broadband coverage in ethnic regions and remote mountainous areas. By 2020, basically achieve fiber-optic and 4G network coverage in all administrative villages in ethnic regions, and comprehensive coverage and interconnection of radio and television facility networks at the five levels of province, city (prefecture), county (city, district), township (town, street), and village (community).