Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province will implement 180 projects this year to help the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Southwest China's Sichuan province achieve economic growth, local authorities said.

The projects cover fields including industrial investment, labor cooperation, talent cultivation, consumption, education, medical care and infrastructure.

In April, Ningbo was paired with Liangshan under the east-west poverty relief program by the central government, which sees more prosperous provinces and municipalities in East China lend support to underdeveloped regions in the country.

Ningbo has been assigned to lend support to 11 counties in Liangshan.

To date, the city has sent 25 cadres as well as 133 professionals from fields like education and medical care to the Sichuan prefecture. More than 20 businesses from Ningbo have signed procurement agreements valued at 170 million yuan ($26.15 million) with Liangshan.

In the past three months, 878 rural workers from the prefecture were given the opportunity to seek employment in Ningbo. Presently, there are 10,500 workers from Liangshan working in Ningbo.

Liangshan is the largest inhabited area of the Yi nationality in China. Located in the southwest of Sichuan province, it covers an area of 60,400 square kilometers and has jurisdiction over two cities and 15 counties, of which 10 counties are inhabited by the Yi nationality.

The prefecture has abundant tourism resources including 11 4A national scenic spots such as Luoji Mountain, Lugu Lake and the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.