Li Keqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Premier of the State Council, recently inspected Gansu. He said that western development is where China's greatest room for maneuver lies, and that developing the west drives employment, giving the nation's employment greater promise. Li Keqiang inspected the construction site of the Muzhailing Tunnel on the Lanzhou-Chongqing Railway. He told the workers: "Railways are of great significance to western development. Building railways in the mountainous areas of the west is extremely arduous; through your hard work and effort, you are opening the door to prosperity for the poor population of the west. You must ensure both project quality and your own safety."

Why did Li Keqiang say that western railway development is of great significance? The interpretation by the reporter of China Deep Foundation Engineering Network is mainly based on the following points:

First, implementing the large-scale development of the west is a major national development strategy. China's west has abundant water conservancy and mineral resources. Compared with the resources and with eastern China, the west has a relatively small population and a relatively harsh environment. Given that China's economy was not yet affluent in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic, the west was not well developed. With the rapid economic development of reform and opening up, China now has the capacity to develop the west, so western development was placed on the central government's important agenda and this major strategy was established. This is an inevitable requirement for achieving the strategic goals of China's modernization. If the underdeveloped state of the west is not changed, it will affect or delay the pace of nationwide modernization. Therefore, without the modernization of the west, there can be no overall modernization of the whole country. In addition, from the perspective of strategic depth, the west is China's great rear area and is important as a buffer and room for maneuver; from the perspective of development, the west borders many neighboring countries and has the locational advantage of strengthening China's ties with neighboring countries. At the same time, the west is also China's major international corridor to Central and West Asia and Europe, long known as the "Silk Road," with far-reaching strategic significance. This is also an important background to Premier Li Keqiang's statement that western railway development is of great significance.

Second, transportation infrastructure construction is the prerequisite for achieving the large-scale development of the west. At present, the per capita GDP of China's western region is only equivalent to just over 60 percent of the national level, and most of the poor population that has not yet secured food and clothing is also distributed in the western region. The west covers a vast area, is rich in natural resources, and has enormous development potential; it is a huge potential market. Developing the west can both transform the west's resource advantages into economic advantages, create a large number of employment opportunities, and enable the population that has not yet secured food and clothing to escape poverty as soon as possible; it can also develop the west's distinctive economy, promote the rational allocation and flow of various resources, and form an important supporting force for sustained national economic development. It can be seen that implementing the western development strategy is an important way to further expand domestic demand and maintain sustained, rapid, and sound national economic development. The prerequisite for implementing large-scale development is, first and foremost, that transportation infrastructure construction must go first; otherwise, other development will lose its support. This is the meaning of the saying that if you want to get rich, build roads first.

Third, railway construction occupies a core position in transportation infrastructure construction. Among all kinds of transportation infrastructure construction, railways undoubtedly have incomparable advantages and occupy a core position. With their characteristics of long distance, large carrying capacity, wide reach, and strong driving force, railways play a very important role in economic development. In particular, the rapid development of railway and high-speed rail construction in recent years has greatly accelerated the pace of people's lives and work and has made major contributions to promoting the rapid flow of people and goods and boosting development. It is precisely because railway construction is so important that Premier Li Keqiang said: Western railway development is of great significance; it is not only eagerly awaited by the people of the west, but also helps the central and western regions receive industrial transfers from the east. "Railway construction is of great significance to poverty alleviation and industrial development. Western development is where China's greatest room for maneuver lies; when the west develops, it drives employment, and the nation's employment will have greater promise."

Therefore, western railway development is not only of great significance to the west but also holds a pivotal position in national development. Thus, the reporter of China Deep Foundation Engineering Network believes that Premier Li Keqiang's statement that western railway development helps the central and western regions receive industrial transfers from the east points out a path for the deep foundation construction and construction machinery industries, because the first industrial transfer is the transfer of the engineering and construction industry. In this regard, the deep foundation construction and construction machinery industries should raise their awareness, clearly understand the situation, deeply understand the profound meaning of the Premier's statement, earnestly take a long-term view, and promptly make strategic arrangements, so as to accomplish great things in the western railway development strategy.

Editor in charge: Wu Yue