China has Made Historic Achievements in Regional Coordinated Development

On September 20th, the National Development and Reform Commission held a special press conference to systematically introduce the historic achievements and changes in regional coordinated development since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Press conference

Xiao Weiming, Director of the Regional Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that our country has a vast territory and a large number of population at the press conference. The Yangtze River and the Yellow River traverse the east and west, and the Qinling and Huaihe Rivers are separated from the north to the south. It’s rare for such significant differences in basic conditions in the world, and therefore it’s one of the most important issue to coordinate regional development for our country.

Xiao Weiming, Director of the Regional Department of the National Development and Reform Commission

Xiao Weiming said that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has been, with far-sighted in taking the overall situation and grasping the general trend at home and abroad, constantly enriching and improving new concepts, new ideas and new strategies for coordinated regional development, and personally planning, deploying, and personally promoting the coordinated development among Beijing Tianjin and Heibei Province, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, etc.

The policy system has been taken in improving the development of western region, the revitalization of the northeast, the rise of the central region, and the development of the eastern region and the battle against poverty. The coordinated regional development goals are established in the equalization of basic public services, relatively balanced level of infrastructure access, and roughly the same level of people's basic living security. The systems and mechanisms for coordinated regional development are established and improved, promoting the formation of a regional economic layout with complementary advantages and high-quality development, and leading our country's regional coordinated development to achieve historic achievements and make historic changes. They are mainly reflected in the following aspects: the first is the the relative gap in regional development continued to narrow. The second is the continuously increase in the power source region. The third is the increasingly obvious for the key role of important functional areas. The fourth is to revitalize and develop special types of regions. The fifth is continuously increase in the level of equalization of basic public services. The sixth is the more balanced in the accessibility of infrastructure. The seventh is the gradually approaching of the people's basic living security level.

Coordinated Development among Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province

The editor's hometown is in Beijing. When I was young, it took at least four or five hours to travel from Beijing to Tianjin by bus. In recent years, the most direct feeling is that the distance among Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei is closer. It takes only 30 minutes for the high-speed railway from Beijing to Tianjin, and 50 minutes for the intercity express from Beijing to Xiong'an New District.

Cao Yuanmeng, the Deputy Director General of the Regional Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that Xiong'an New District, as a centralized carrier of Beijing's non capital functions, together with the sub center of Beijing, has formed a new two-wing for Beijing. Since its establishment in 2017, Xiong'an New District, with more than five years of planning and construction, has entered an important stage for undertaking Beijing's non capital functions and simultaneously promoting its construction. Firstly, the planning policy system has been basically established. Secondly, breakthrough progress have been made in undertaking mediation. The third is the rolling implementation of new area construction projects. The last is that the remarkable achievements have been made in the improvement and restoration of the ecological environment.

Cao Yuanmeng, the Deputy Director General of the Regional Department of the National Development and Reform Commission

"We believe that Xiong'an New District will surely bring more surprises to everyone through continuous and unremitting efforts and struggles, and the City of the Future is much promising." Cao Yuanmeng said.

Referring to the coordinated development among Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province, we have to mention the construction of Beijing's urban sub center and the coordinated development of Tongzhou District and the three northern counties. Cao Yuanmeng said that Tongzhou District, separated from the three northern counties by one river, is geographically, socially, ecologically and culturally close to each other, which is also an important part of building a sub center of Beijing. With the joint efforts of all parties, Tongzhou District and the three northern counties have made significant progress in their coordinated development: remarkable achievements in improving the ecological environment, steady progress in the construction of transportation integration, gradual shaping of industrial transfer and undertaking, and constant strengthening of public service cooperation.

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

The first anniversary for the issuance and implementation of the Hengqin and Qianhai plans has passed. Xiao Weiming said that over the past year, with the joint efforts of all relevant parties, Hengqin and Qianhai have made positive progress in their development and construction, and the key tasks defined in the plan are being implemented in an orderly manner.

With regard to the Hengqin cooperation zone, relevant parties have been earnestly implementing the Overall Plan for the Construction of the Hengqin-Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone, firmly grasping the development requirements of serving Macao and promoting the integration between Hengqin and Macao, accelerating the layout of the industrial system to further promote the moderate diversified development of Macao's economy, deepen the cooperation in the field of Guangdong and Macao's people's lives, constantly improving the system and mechanism of Guangdong and Macao's joint construction and management, and promoting the construction of the cooperation zone and achieving a good and a steady start.

With regard to the Qianhai Cooperation Zone, the relevant parties have been  earnestly implementing the Plan for Comprehensively Deepening the Reform and Opening-up of the Qianhai-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, firmly grasping the two key points of expansion and reform and opening-up, keeping close cooperation and exchanges with Hong Kong, accelerating pilot platform construction for comprehensively deepening reform and innovation, steadily building a high-level portal hub for opening-up, and promoting the development and opening-up of the cooperation zone to further achieve important phased results.

Led by the major cooperation platform, the Great Bay Area has achieved remarkable results in the past five years, standing at a new and higher starting point. The 1+N planning policy system has been gradually established, the construction of international science and innovation center has been steadily promoted, the level of market integration has been significantly improved, and the life and development of Hong Kong and Macao residents in the mainland has become more convenient.

Hainan Free Trade Port

Huang Weibo, the Deputy Head of the Comprehensive Group of the Office for the Leading Group of Promoting Hainan's Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Opening-up, said that important progress has been made since the implementation of the Overall Plan for the Construction of Hainan Free Trade Port for more than two years.

Huang Weibo, the Deputy Head of the Comprehensive Group of the Office for the Leading Group of Promoting Hainan's Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Opening-up

Firstly, the free trade port policy system has been initially established. A series of policies and measures have been formulated around trade, investment, cross-border capital flow, free and convenient access of people, transportation, and safe and orderly flow of data.

Secondly, foreign trade and foreign investment grows rapidly. Benefiting from the dividend of the free trade port policy, the growth rate of foreign trade and foreign investment in Hainan has made a historic leap.

Thirdly, the market vitality has been significantly enhanced. The implementation of special measures to relax market access has been proved effectively. Enterprises are enthusiastic about investing in Hainan Free Trade Port, and market players are rapidly increasing.

Fourthly, the construction of modern industrial system has been accelerated. The tourism industry is developing vigorously, obviously attracting consumption return. In 2021, the sales of duty-free shops in outlying islands exceed 60 billion yuan, an increase of 84% year on year.

Fifthly, the business environment has been continuously improved. The Hainan Free Trade Port Law has been promulgated and implemented, and many laws and regulations such as the Hainan Provincial Interim Anti smuggling Regulations and the Tropical Rainforest National Park Regulations have been issued and implemented.

Ecological conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin

The Yellow River is the mother river of the Chinese nation, and therefore it’s a long-term plan for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation to protect the Yellow River. Cao Yuanmeng said that over the past three years, significant progress has been made in the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin through joint efforts .

Firstly, the construction of the 1+N+X planning policy system has been accelerating. We have issued and implemented special plans for the ecological environment protection, water security, cultural protection, inheritance and promotion of the Yellow River basin, formulated and issued policies and measures for the protection and restoration of wetlands in the Yellow River basin, conservation and intensive use of water resources, pollution prevention, soil erosion control, fiscal and tax support, scientific and technological innovation, urban and rural construction, and issued implementation plans to support Ningxia in building a pilot area for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin. And the plans for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin at the provincial level in 9 provinces and regions along the Yellow River have been implemented, the four beams and eight pillars to promote the implementation of the strategy have been basically constructed.

Secondly, the level of water resource conservation and utilization has been steadily improved. Adhering to the principle that water determines the city, water determines the place, water determines the people, and water determines the production, the  water-saving and water control actions for the Yellow River basin are implemented to further strive to strengthen the rigid constraints on water resources.

Thirdly, the ecological environment of the basin has been continuously improved. From January to June this year, the proportion of Class I - III surface water quality sections in the Yellow River basin reached 82.4%, increasing by 5.8% than the last year. Since 2019, the area of water and soil loss under control has reached 24000 square kilometers, and the vegetation coverage of the Loess Plateau has increased to over 60% at present from 30% at the beginning of this century. Snow leopards, white lipped deer, blue sheep and other large wild animals reappear at the source of the Yellow River.

Fourthly, the ability to cope with floods and waterlogging disasters has been significantly enhanced. The relocation of the Yellow River beach area in Henan and Shandong are basically completed, and 850000 people were freed from the flood threat.

Fifthly, the level of energy supply and green development has been continued to improve. Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi and other provinces and regions continue to play a key role in stabilizing coal prices and ensuring supply.

Economic and social development in central and western regions

Huang Microwave introduced that the central and western regions include 18 provinces, accounting for 82% of the country's land area and 53% of the country's population, and play an important role in the coordinated development of the country and regions.

Firstly, the economic strength has been steadily improved. Over the past decade, the GDP of the central and western regions has increased from 22.2 trillion yuan to 49 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth rate higher than the national average. The proportion of total economic output in the country has increased by 2.2%, and the ratio of per capita GDP to the eastern region has increased by about 5.8%. The gap between regional development has been further narrowed.

Secondly, the infrastructure has been improved significantly. By the end of 2021, the railway mileage in the central and western regions has exceeded 90000 kilometers, and the new railway mileage accounts for nearly 70% of the national total since 2012 ; The highway mileage has exceeded 3.5 million kilometers, and the newly increased highway mileage accounts for nearly 80% of the national total since 2012; The construction of large corridors and hubs in the central region and the five horizontal, four vertical and four outbound comprehensive transport corridor in the western region has been accelerated, and the accessibility, smoothness and equalization of regional infrastructure have been greatly improved.

Thirdly, the ecological environment has been improved significantly. Over the past decade, the central and western regions have deepened key ecological projects such as returning farmland to forests, returning grazing land to grassland, and comprehensively harnessing the water environment in the river basin. Over 137 million mu of land has been converted from farmland to forests and grassland. The overall degradation trend of grassland  has been curbed at the source of the three rivers. The water quality at the water intake section has remained stable at Category II for the middle route of the South to North Water Transfer Project. The area of national nature reserves accounts for over 90% of the country's total. The national ecological security barrier has been further consolidated.

The fourth is to accelerate the development of industries with distinctive advantages. The transformation and upgrading of traditional industries in the western region has been accelerated, and new economies, such as clean energy and digital economy, have flourished. The trans-provincial transmission of electricity has accounted for over 70% of the country's total. The cumulative transmission of natural gas has exceeded 700 billion cubic meters from the west to the east, benefiting 500 million people; The construction of grain production bases, energy and raw materials bases, modern equipment manufacturing and high-tech industrial bases in the central region has achieved remarkable results. The proportion of grain output in the country has been stable at over 30% for many years, and the output value of the manufacturing industry has reached a quarter of the country.

Fifthly, people's living standards have been improved significantly. In 2021, the per capita disposable income of residents in the western region and central region has exceeded 27000 yuan and 29000 yuan respectively, double that of a decade ago; The urbanization rate of the permanent population have exceeded 57% and 59% respectively, narrowing the gap with the national level and further improving the coordination of urban and rural regional development.

Economic Development in Northeast China

Xiao Weiming said that with the joint efforts of all parties, the economic development of the Northeast region has gradually been stabilized, the business environment has been further optimized, the structural adjustment has been made solid progress, the comprehensive grain production capacity has been significantly improved, the infrastructure has been constantly improved, the social undertakings have been booming, the people's living standard has been constantly improved, and the policy implementation has been showing results.

Firstly, the ballast status of national food security has been consolidated.

Secondly, the industrial foundation for our country’s heavy equipment has been further consolidated. We will continue to make great efforts in the restructuring of industrial structure, transform and upgrade time-honored brands, acceleration the upgrading and upgrading of the equipment manufacturing industry, and build a number of major countries' heavy equipment, including the first domestic aircraft carrier, a 300000 ton super smart crude oil tanker, the main compressor of the transonic wind tunnel, the Hualong I nuclear reactor pressure vessel, and the Fuxing Chinese standard EMU.

Thirdly, the advantages of green development are more prominent. Implementing the concept that green water and green mountains are gold and silver mountains, and ice and snow are also gold and silver mountains, we will strengthen ecological construction, the protection for forests, wetlands, grasslands and other important ecological functional areas with the aim to achieve remarkable results in harnessing mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes and grasses, and continuously improve air quality.

Fourthly, the people's livelihood security level has been constantly improved. A decisive victory has been achieved in the fight against poverty in Northeast China. By 2020, 1582000 households, 4.277 million people and 50 state-level poverty-stricken counties have been lifted from poverty.

Translated by: Yue Wang

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