SCIO press conference on writing a new chapter in Shaanxi's development and striving to be a pacesetter in China's western region

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Speakers:

Mr. Zhao Gang, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shaanxi Provincial Committee and governor of Shaanxi province

Mr. Wang Xiao, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and executive vice governor of Shaanxi province

Mr. Wang Haipeng, vice governor of Shaanxi province and secretary-general of the People's Government of Shaanxi Province

Mr. Sun Ximin, director of the Shaanxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission

Chairperson:

Ms. Shou Xiaoli, director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date:

June 6, 2024

Shou Xiaoli:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). This is the 27th briefing in the series "Promoting High-Quality Development." Today, we have invited Mr. Zhao Gang, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shaanxi Provincial Committee and governor of Shaanxi province, to brief you on writing a new chapter in Shaanxi's development and striving to be a pacesetter in China's western region, and to take your questions. Also present today are Mr. Wang Xiao, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and executive vice governor of Shaanxi province; Mr. Wang Haipeng, vice governor of Shaanxi province and secretary-general of the People's Government of Shaanxi Province; and Mr. Sun Ximin, director of the Shaanxi Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Zhao for his introduction.

Zhao Gang:

Friends from the media, good morning. It's a great pleasure to meet you here. First of all, on behalf of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and the Shaanxi provincial government, I'd like to express gratitude to you all for your long-term interest in and support for Shaanxi's economic and social development.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has always cared about the people in Shaanxi and the development of the province. He has visited Shaanxi many times and offered guidance, entrusting us with the important mission of making new contributions to Chinese modernization. Firmly bearing in mind the expectations of General Secretary Xi Jinping, Shaanxi has been consistently advancing high-quality development. Over the past 10 years, Shaanxi's GDP has grown at an average annual rate of 6.4%, reaching 3.38 trillion yuan last year and passing two trillion-yuan milestones in succession. The overall features are as follows:

First, innovation and industries have been integrated at a faster pace. As a vital national center for scientific research, culture and education, Shaanxi has unleashed its innovation potential by leveraging its scientific and educational strengths. Over the past decade, Shaanxi's spending on R&D as a share of GDP has increased by 0.31 percentage point, reaching 2.34%. The volume of contracted technology transactions has surged by over 350 billion yuan, exceeding 410 billion yuan. The comprehensive scientific and technological innovation index has reached 71.72%, up by 15 percentage points. Three national industrial clusters, namely for the aviation industry, integrated circuits and advanced structural materials, have been nurtured. The efficiency of photovoltaic cells has repeatedly broken world records. Superconductors, ultra-high-voltage power transmission, new-type displays and other technologies have reached international standards. It leads the country in modern coal chemicals, high-end drones, metal-based additive manufacturing, and dry and water-efficient agriculture. The scale of industries such as new energy vehicles (NEVs) and semiconductors rank among the top nationwide. The scale of the titanium processing industry and production of heavy-duty truck transmissions both rank first globally. Over the past three years, the number of high-tech enterprises as well as small- and medium-sized sci-tech enterprises have increased by 1.9 times and 1.6 times, respectively. The value-added of high-tech manufacturing has grown at an average annual rate of 12%, which is 2.8 percentage points higher than the national average, propelling innovation-driven development onto the fast track.

Second, regional development has become more coordinated. We have enhanced the leading role of central Shaanxi, promoted transformation and upgrading of the energy industry in north Shaanxi, and supported green and circular development in south Shaanxi. The integration of Xi'an and Xianyang has accelerated with stronger momentum, with subway lines connecting the downtown areas of the two cities and cross-city access to 380 government services including enterprise registration. Over the past decade, the GDP of Shaanxi's counties has reached 1.62 trillion yuan, nearly doubling. The urbanization rate has reached 65.16%, up by 13.59 percentage points. The poverty alleviation work has been successfully completed, and rural revitalization has been promoted on all fronts. A bumper harvest has been secured for the 20th year in a row, with wheat, rapeseed and tomato breeding technologies leading the country. Shaanxi boasts nine national agricultural industrial clusters based on its characteristics and strengths, ranking among the top nationwide. One out of every seven apples and every four kiwifruits in the world originate from Shaanxi. Local specialties such as goat milk, fungi and tea are developing into major industries.

Third, reforms and opening-up have been deepened. We have earnestly conducted the "Business Environment Breakthrough Year" event. We have continued to advance the market-oriented reform of production factors, including "evaluation by per-hectare efficiency," constantly enhancing the efficient allocation of land, technology, data and other production factors. By the end of last year, the number of enterprises reached 1.565 million, an increase of 3.1 times over the past decade. Solid progress has been made in the reform of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), with provincial SOEs leading the nation in indicators such as revenue, total profit and return on equity. We have actively integrated into the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), leading the way in establishing air routes connecting all the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The SCO Demonstration Base for Agricultural Technology Exchange and Training in Shaanxi's Yangling Agricultural Hi-tech Industrial Demonstration Zone has trained over 4,700 officials and technical professionals from more than 130 countries. Over the past three years, the annual number of China-Europe freight trains departing from Shaanxi has increased by 12.8% on average, exceeding 5,300, with key indicators such as the number of operating trains, the heavy-haul rate and freight volume all ranking among the top nationwide. Over the past decade, Shaanxi's total imports and exports have grown at an average annual rate of 14.2%, 9.2 percentage points higher than the national average. A total of 38 innovative practices explored in China (Shaanxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone, such as integrated tax refund services, customs clearance simplification, notes financing for scientific and innovative enterprises, have been promoted nationwide.

Fourth, the ecological environment has been remarkably improved. We have kept in mind the country's most fundamental interests and acted on the idea that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. We have witnessed 99.3% of the ecological areas within the Shaanxi section of Qinling Mountains reaching good quality. Forests, grasslands and wetlands account for 71.3% of the province's total area. The annual amount of sediment entering the Yellow River from its main tributaries has decreased by 30% compared to the previous decade. In addition, the water quality of water sources in the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project has been kept above Class II. Our efforts for green transition have picked up pace. All coal-fired power plants have met ultra-low emission standards, and the renewable energy capacity has increased by 8.5 times over the past 10 years, exceeding 40 million kilowatts. Additionally, we have made new advances in carbon capture and storage technology, capturing and storing a total of 450,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

Fifth, people's well-being has continued to improve. Over the past three years, more than 400,000 new urban jobs have been created each year, and residents' per capita disposable income has grown by an average of 7% annually. Higher education has seen high-quality development, with eight universities and 20 academic disciplines being included in the national Double First-Class Project. Moreover, eight higher vocational colleges and 12 majors have been included in the plan for building up world-class higher vocational colleges and majors with Chinese characteristics. Such numbers rank among the top in the country. Construction of the regional medical center for children's health in northwest China has witnessed rapid progress. The operating high-speed railway network in the province has expanded to 1,000 kilometers, while expressways have reached over 6,700 kilometers. This network has made it possible for every county to be connected by expressways, significantly improving transportation convenience for the public. Moreover, Shaanxi hosted the 14th National Games of China with splendor and success. A batch of signature cultural venues and museums have been completed and opened to the public, such as the Xi'an branch of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture and the Shaanxi Archaeology Museum. All these have been helpful for enriching people's cultural lives. Development of the cultural tourism sector has gained momentum. Last year, the number of tourists visiting Shaanxi province increased by 106.5% year-on-year. The daily average number of visitors to the Datang Everbright City scenic area reached 450,000 during the May Day holiday. Shaanxi is drawing in an increasing number of visitors, who come to admire its ancient treasures, explore its historical sites, and immerse themselves in the elegance of traditional Hanfu attire and China's rich cultural heritage.

On the new journey ahead, we will adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and push the high-quality development to higher levels, making new breakthroughs. I'd like to invite friends from all walks of life to visit Shaanxi to immerse yourselves in the captivating charm of Shaanxi and witness its progress. Thank you.