Japan has decided to provide 1.3 million yuan (some 157,000 US dollars) to build water purifying projects in two towns of southwest China's Guizhou Province, said Chihiro Arsumi, Japanese minister to China, at a signing ceremony of the aid contract Wednesday.

The money will be used to produce drinking water for local people and livestock in Shidong Town and Suojia Township of Miao ethnic minority of the province.

The projects are sponsored by a special fund managed by the Japanese ambassador to China, which has aided 13 projects in Guizhou, involving about 1 million US dollars.

By March 2003, the fund has launched 566 projects in China withan assistance of about 38 million US dollars.

(Source: People's Daily 2003-12-11)