According to the plan, which was unveiled on Friday by the Guangdong Development Planning Commission, each of the cities will house more than one million people.

The ambitious development includes programs on infrastructure, environmental protection, wide application of information technology, and growth of the high-tech sector in the region, one of the major manufacturing centers of electronic goods.

Infrastructure construction has been targeted as the most important way to realize the plan for the delta, which accounts for one third of China's exports.

By 2010, expressway mileage is expected to increase to 2,200 km in the delta area, from current figure of less than 1,000 km.

The power generating capacity in the delta region will reach 48.64 million kilowatts combined with an increase of 509 km of natural gas pipelines.

The output value of the high-tech sector is expected to grow by about 20 percent annually to one trillion yuan (121.9 billion US dollars).

By 2010, Internet subscribers in the delta are expected to number 25 million with 400 personal computers for every 1,000 residents and phone access for all residents.

The province set an export target for the delta region of 200 billion US dollars by 2010, which represents an annual average growth rate of 8 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2003)