On April 23, Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over a symposium in Chongqing, emphasizing the pivotal role of China’s western region in national reform, development, and stability. In his keynote speech, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called for accelerated efforts to promote the development of the western region in the new era.
Xi highlighted the necessity of consistently implementing policies to foster greater protection, openness, and high-quality development in the western region. He underscored enhancing the region’s overall strength and sustainable development capabilities to write a new chapter in China’s modernization process.
Over the past five years, the CPC Central Committee has introduced a series of measures to promote large-scale development in the western region, resulting in significant achievements. Environmental protection efforts have seen over 320 million mu of farmland converted back to forests and grasslands, and the main streams of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers have reached Class II water quality, making them drinkable after regular purification.
The western region has also witnessed an expansion in infrastructure and openness. The new land-sea corridor in the west and the China-Europe freight train have seamlessly connected Chongqing to international markets. In the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the first pilot free trade zone in China’s northwest border region has been inaugurated. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region’s Beibu Gulf Port has experienced a surge in container throughput, signaling increased trade activity.
New industries and business forms are booming, with the establishment of nine national-level strategic new industrial clusters, including new materials and biomedicine, and five national-level advanced manufacturing clusters such as electronic information and aviation. These developments have propelled the regional GDP from 20.5 trillion yuan in 2019 to 26.9 trillion yuan in 2023, averaging an annual growth rate of 4.9 percent, the highest among China’s regions.
President Xi’s call for rational division of labor and optimized development according to each region’s conditions reflects the CPC’s commitment to coordinated regional development. The strategic focus on the western region aims to balance population and resource endowments, laying a foundation for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
