conditions of the people in the minority poverty areas. In April 1989, the State Council sponsored a conference on the subject of using manufactured products in payment for work. It was decided that, from 1989 to 1991, the national Government should continue to provide 600 million yuan of manufactured goods to pay for work and help the minority poverty areas build railways and bridges and carry out fresh-water projects for the population and for animals. 14. In January 1989, the Commission on Nationality Affairs and the Ministry of Geology and Mines issued a Joint Notice setting out guidelines on assisting minority areas to develop and exploit their geological resources. The Joint Notice establishes that reliable geological information, mineral resource data and technical papers and reports should regularly be provided for the territorial development of minority areas, to assess medium-scale and small-scale mines in the poorer counties of minority areas which are cost-efficient and suitable for local exploitation, to prospect for undergroxjnd water in minority areas that suffer from serious drought, to survey the steppes and high plateaux of Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and Xinjian in order to rationalize the exploitation and use of water, and to improve the quality of alkaline soil. 15. The National Commission of the Natural Science Foundation decided to set up as of 1989 a regional science foundation to support scientific research in remote minority areas. In 1989, the foundation provided funding to researchers in colleges and institutes in seven provinces and autonomous regions - Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Tibet, Gixangxi and Hainan. 16. Even under the general retrenchement policy of 1989, infrastructural investment in Tibet was significantly increased. It is estimated that State investment in Tibet in that year increased by 57.5 per cent over the previous year. Thus, nationally and locally, total infrastructure investment in Tibet 
**Analysis**
The text appears to focus on government initiatives and investments aimed at improving the economic and living conditions of minority groups in poverty areas, particularly in the western regions of China. The measures mentioned include infrastructure development, provision of manufactured goods, geological resource exploration, and scientific research. These efforts suggest a strong emphasis on economic development and poverty reduction, which aligns with the goals of humanitarian aid and relief, as well as economic development.

**Category**
Economic development, Humanitarian aid and relief