Passerbys make their way along the front

Passerbys make their way along the front of French distributor Carrefour's outlet in Chengdu, capital of China's southwest Sichuan province 07 October 2004. Five years after it was floated, China's plan to develop its western regions has helped provinces such as Sichuan to break out of economic isolation, but has failed to realise the goal of closing the gap with the flourishing eastern seaboard, as for centuries one of China's granaries, Sichuan today boasts of attracting 88 of the world's top 500 corporations and has raked in more investment in the last five years than ever before. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images)