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"Central rise" is a term increasingly used to refer to the development of the country's inland provinces. In March 2004, Premier Wen Jiabao spoke of "promoting the rise of central China" in his annual government working report to the plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC). In the 11th Five-Year Plan approved in March 2006 by the top legislature, its development initiative was officially promulgated. The central region, which includes the five neighboring provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Henan, Anhui and Jiangxi, plays an important role in the national economy, with 8.8 percent of China's land area, 25.7 percent of its population and producing 18.22 percent of its GDP.
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