Though the bingtuan is China's most efficient grower of cotton, thanks largely to its use of plastic strips (a Japanese invention) laid over the cotton seedlings to conserve moisture, it employs over 300, 000 workers for the harvest.
Mr Wang dismisses the suggestion that the bing tuan with its own administration, its special relations with Beijing (it reports directly to the State Council), and its dollops of central-government largesse is like a mini-state, favoured for its strategic importance.