China News Service:

In May 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping made an inspection tour of Jiangxi and presided over a work symposium on the rise of China's central region. He put forward the goal of Jiangxi to "vie for the forefront in boosting the rise of the central region." Recently, the CPC Central Committee has put forward new requirements. What measures will Jiangxi take to seize these opportunities, achieve high-quality development, and make new advances in the rise of the central region? Thank you. 

Liu Qi:

I'd like to invite Mr. Yi Lianhong to answer this question.

Yi Lianhong:

We all know that General Secretary Xi Jinping has always been concerned about the old revolutionary bases and cared about the people living there. The officials and people in Jiangxi have been greatly moved and inspired by General Secretary Xi Jinping's deep love of the old revolutionary bases. Over the past years, following General Secretary Xi Jinping's instructions, we have been working hard to advance the social and economic development of Jiangxi. The recently released guideline on boosting high-quality development of central China in the new era shows that the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have attached great importance to and scaled up support for the development of the country's central region and Jiangxi. Therefore, we have taken it as a vital opportunity to advance high-quality development of Jiangxi.

Going forward, by focusing on the target of "setting an example and vying for the forefront" that General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward for Jiangxi, and following the guideline released by the CPC Central Committee, we will work hard to forge ahead, ground our efforts in the new development stage, apply the new development philosophy, and create a new pattern for development, so as to start a new chapter in Jiangxi's development in the journey of fully building China into a modern socialist country. To be specific, we will ensure the following five aspects:

First, we will accelerate the establishment of a modern industrial system underpinned by innovation. We will leverage national-level innovation platforms such as the Poyang Lake national innovation demonstration zone and the Ganjiang Innovation Academy, as well as the role of colleges, universities, and scientific research institutions in Jiangxi to build it into a province of innovators. We will scale up efforts to set up a market-oriented scientific and technological innovation system that will help enterprises play a major role and feature the coordinated efforts of firms, universities, research institutions, financial institutions, and consumers. Moreover, we will step up efforts to establish a modern industrial system in which the digital economy is the mainstay, the advanced manufacturing industry is the foundation, and the manufacturing and service industries are deeply integrated.

Second, we will pursue coordinated development and scale up efforts to enhance the overall outcome of the regional development. Given the remarkable geographical advantage Jiangxi possesses, we have been making concerted efforts to integrate ourselves into China's regional development strategy while promoting the coordinated economic development of the province. We will prioritize the development of the metropolitan area of Nanchang and focus on economic development in the areas along Shanghai-Kunming high-speed railway and Beijing-Kowloon high-speed railway. We will step up efforts to boost vitalization of the former Central Soviet Area in southern Jiangxi in all respects, promote cooperation between northeastern Jiangxi and other regions, as well as boost the transformation and upgrading of western Jiangxi. We will advance the synergized progress of urban functions and quality, and rural vitalization to build more modern and attractive towns featuring pleasant living environments, favorable business environments, elegant layouts, and beautiful landscapes. Moreover, we will make the development of our rural areas outstanding in five aspects such as the prosperous development of businesses, fine folk customs, joint contribution, and shared benefits, as well as a beautiful environment and harmonious development. 

Third, we will stick to the green development philosophy, and endeavor to make Jiangxi's development a model in the process of building a beautiful China. We all know that Jiangxi is one of the provinces with the largest vegetation coverage. As soon as you arrive in Jiangxi, you will be impressed by its large proportion of tree coverage and beautiful, painting-like sights. General Secretary Xi Jinping has told us that Jiangxi's ecological environment is its largest treasure and biggest advantage. Therefore, we will follow the requirements made by General Secretary Xi Jinping and strive for the building of a national ecological civilization pilot zone. We will also endeavor to win the battle against pollution, for example, by protecting the environmental conservation of the Yangtze River, and make sure that every problem found in central environmental inspections will be addressed in a comprehensive, systematic, and thorough manner. This will further leverage the ecological advantage of Jiangxi and make it serve as the impetus for Jiangxi's development.

Fourth, we will follow the principle of opening up, and step up efforts to achieve high-level opening up in all respects. Jiangxi province is adjacent to the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and the Western Taiwan Straits Economic Zone, which gives the province preferential conditions for the integration into the regional development of both Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Moreover, it provides convenient access to the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. The unique preferential conditions have facilitated our opening-up efforts. Going forward, we will continue to open our door wider and ensure further opening-up by cooperating with adjacent provinces. This includes working with Zhejiang, Hunan, and Guangdong to develop the city of Ganzhou into a gateway to help Jiangxi integrate itself into the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. 

Fifth, we will aim for shared benefits and continue to increase people's happiness index. Development is ultimately for the sake of people. What the public expects is where the policy should go. We will firmly bear in mind the important requirements put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping, and focus on the problems that greatly concern the people to deliver services to them, resolve the difficulties they face, and ensure that their sense of gain and happiness continues to increase with the province's social and economic development. Thank you.