Published by: THE WORLD UYGHUR NETWORK NEWS December 15, 1997

12/05/97, Reuters

"The Export-Import Bank of Japan signed agreements to extend untied loans to the Bank of China. The loans would be used for three projects including the Urumqi Hetan Road Project in the northwestern region of Xinjiang."

TOKYO, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The Export-Import Bank of Japan on Friday signed agreements in Beijing to extend untied loans totalling $225 million to the Bank of China, the Ex-Im Bank said. The loans would be used for three projects -- the Xiamen Haicang Bridge Project in the eastern province of Fujian, the Shenzhen Airport Expansion Project in southern Guangdong province, and the Urumqi Hetan Road Project in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, the bank said in a statement. All of these projects had been given priority under China's current five-year plan and were expected to help the country's stable economic development, it said. The untied loans do not require purchases of goods and services from Japan.