Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan province in south-west China, is known as the "spring city" because it has a singularly pleasant climate.
But as well as being a nice place to live, it is also an ambitious city.
Yunnan is a scenic and mountainous province and Kunming, despite its transformation into a major metropolis, is a popular destination for domestic tourism. A three-and-a-half hour flight from Beijing makes it within easy reach for tourists from the capital but not so near that it is a dull choice for domestic tourists.
But the potential for developing the area's tourism and recreation industries has been set aside, largely because of the province's proximity to neighbouring Myanmar.
The new China-Myanmar oil-and-gas pipeline project, connecting the Indian Ocean with south-west China, is central to government's plans to really push Yunnan to new heights, lifting the city in the national league tables - it is currently in 49th by GDP.
Much of this has been driven by huge infrastructure spending as the province plays catch-up with the rest of the country. Yunnan is home to a motorway network that is second to none in China.
But a major element are government plans to transform Kunming into a petrochemical refining and production base and this was laid out in Beijing's latest five-year economic development plan, which covers the period from 2010 to 2015.
It involves the country's largest state-owned oil and gas producer China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) building a 20 billion yuan (Dh11.96bn) oil refinery in the province with a projected annual capacity of 10 million tonnes.
Yunnan's GDP reached 1 trillion yuan last year, which was growth of 13 per cent year on year, compared with the national average of 7.8 per cent.
In the first quarter of this year, GDP in Kunming rose 13.5 per cent, so the expansion is continuing.
In 2011, its total GDP was 875bn yuan and the target set out in the five-year plan is for both the total GDP and income of urban and rural population in Yunnan to be doubled by 2016. According to the Yunnan statistical bureau, the province has enjoyed large increases in inward investment, consumption and foreign trade, too.
While GDP growth is significantly higher than the national average, GDP growth per capita is still lower than the rest of the country and it has become part of a national drive to increase rural incomes.
While most Kunming residents will doubtless welcome bids to raise GDP and narrow the wealth gap, the environmental cost of development is raising hackles in Kunming.
The local government has sought to play down a 2006 plan that allows the chemical company Yunnan Yuntianhua to produce 650,000 tonnes of the chemical compound p-Xylene (PX), a chemical used in making fabrics and plastic bottles, and one million tonnes of terephthalic acid in the Anning area. The plan has met with local scepticism and there has been a handful of boisterous protests against the plans.
Waving banners that read "be open with environmental impact assessment, oppose pollution", and "Refine your little sister", more than 2,000 people protested for a second time against plans for a petroleum refinery in Kunming last week.
In the wake of the first protest on May 4, local government officials and PetroChina, a unit of of CNPC, held a series of public meetings and pledged operations at the refinery would be environmentally sound.
Officials have assured local residents environmental protection and safety procedures will be a priority but many worry that, once construction of the oil refinery begins, the local government will be left powerless to supervise and regulate the large state enterprise.
These environmental concerns could prove a stumbling block to the government's efforts to lift the south-west, and a compromise looks a certainty.
business@thenational.ae
RACE CARD
6.30pm Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m
7.40pm Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m
8.15pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m
9.25pm Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Results
2pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: AF Thayer, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: AF Sahwa, Nathan Crosse, Mohamed Ramadan.
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,000m, Winner: AF Thobor, Szczepan Mazur, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: AF Mezmar, Szczepan Mazur, Ernst Oertel.
4pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup presented by Longines (TB) Dh 200,000 (D) 1,700m, Winner: Galvanize, Nathan Cross, Doug Watson.
4.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m, Winner: Ajaj, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mohamed Daggash.
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Get inspired
Here are a couple of Valentine’s Day food products that may or may not go the distance (but have got the internet talking anyway).
Sourdough sentiments: Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom has introduced a slow-baked sourdough loaf dusted with flour to spell out I (heart) you, at £2 (Dh9.5). While it’s not available in the UAE, there’s nothing to stop you taking the idea and creating your own message of love, stencilled on breakfast-inbed toast.
Crisps playing cupid: Crisp company Tyrells has added a spicy addition to its range for Valentine’s Day. The brand describes the new honey and chilli flavour on Twitter as: “A tenderly bracing duo of the tantalising tingle of chilli with sweet and sticky honey. A helping hand to get your heart racing.” Again, not on sale here, but if you’re tempted you could certainly fashion your own flavour mix (spicy Cheetos and caramel popcorn, anyone?).
