Speakers:
Mr. Wang Hao, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhejiang Provincial Committee and governor of Zhejiang province
Mr. Xu Wenguang, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and executive deputy governor of Zhejiang province
Mr. Lu Shan, vice governor of Zhejiang province
Mr. Du Xuliang, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission
Chairperson:
Mr. Chen Wenjun, director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO
Date:
March 27, 2024
Chen Wenjun:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). This is the second press conference in the series themed "Promoting High-Quality Development." We are pleased to have invited Mr. Wang Hao, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhejiang Provincial Committee and governor of Zhejiang province, to brief you on "seeking solid progress in implementing the 'Double-Eight Strategy' and striving to pioneer a new chapter in Chinese modernization," and to answer your questions. Also present at today's press conference are Mr. Xu Wenguang, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and executive deputy governor of Zhejiang province; Mr. Lu Shan, vice governor of Zhejiang province; and Mr. Du Xuliang, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission.
Now, I will give the floor to Mr. Wang for his introduction.
Wang Hao:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I am very pleased to meet you all today. First of all, on behalf of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, the Zhejiang Provincial People's Government and the 66.27 million people of Zhejiang province, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks for your long-term interest in and support for Zhejiang. Next, I will briefly introduce the situation regarding Zhejiang's advancement of high-quality development.
Zhejiang is the place from which the red boat of the Chinese revolution set sail. General Secretary Xi Jinping, who worked in Zhejiang for six years, personally crafted the "Double-Eight Strategy" (which identifies eight strengths Zhejiang possesses in economic structure, geological location, industries, coordinated urban-rural development, ecology, mountain and ocean resources, environment and culture, as well as eight measures the province is taking to exploit these strengths) as the overarching program and strategy for the province's development. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the general secretary has visited Zhejiang six times to inspect and guide its development. He encouraged Zhejiang to "continuously strive for practical efforts, seek new development at the forefront, and demonstrate responsibility by leading the charge." He has called on Zhejiang to become a vital window showcasing the advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics for the new era, entrusting it with the significant mission of building a demonstration zone for high-quality development and common prosperity. Especially in September last year, he granted Zhejiang the new role of pioneer of Chinese modernization and the new mission of vigorously writing a new chapter of Chinese modernization in Zhejiang, elevating the province's development to an unprecedented level. We have remembered the general secretary's entrustment, gratefully advanced under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, resolutely carried out the in-depth implementation of the "Double-Eight Strategy," and strived to be pioneers on the new journey, writing a new chapter. Zhejiang has greater comprehensive strength, more robust vitality, more harmonious urban and rural regions, and its people's lives are richer. The path of high-quality development is becoming broader and creating greater confidence.
We have continued to adhere to high-quality development as our top priority, resolutely embracing our role as a leading economic province. We implemented the "No. 1 Development Project" for digital economy innovation and quality enhancement, the "No. 1 Reform Project" to optimize and improve the business environment, and the "No. 1 Opening-up Project" to empower and elevate the "sweet potato economy" (symbolizing Zhejiang's growth strategy, with local investments spreading globally like sweet potato vines, enhancing international engagement and strengthening the local economy). With these three "No. 1" projects as the overall driving force, we initiated and implemented the "Ten Major Projects," including the "Thousand Major Projects, Trillion Yuan Investment" initiative, as specific action points and entryways to accelerate the creation of a modern industrial system with Zhejiang characteristics, and to promote effective qualitative improvements and reasonable quantitative growth of the economy. In 2023, the province's GDP reached 8.2553 trillion yuan, growing by 6%, and creating 6.5% of the national GDP with only 1.1% of the country's land and 4.7% of its population. The general public budget revenue was 860 billion yuan, an increase of 7%, ranking third nationwide in total volume.
We vigorously promoted further innovation, deepened reforms, overcame challenges, and enhanced opening-up to further cultivate and solidify our lead in future development. We focused on leveraging scientific and technological innovations to create new development advantages, accelerating the growth of new quality productive forces, with the R&D intensity of the whole society reaching 3.15%, and our regional innovation capability ranking fourth nationwide. We strived to build a market-oriented, law-based and internationally first-class business environment, implementing 32 policy measures to promote the high-quality development of the private economy, boosting market expectations and corporate confidence. The number of market entities in the province has reached 10.4 million, meaning there is one entrepreneur for every 6.5 people in Zhejiang. We focused on amplifying the advantages of an open economy: In 2023, the total import and export volume of the province reached 4.9 trillion yuan, of which 3.57 trillion yuan were exports, accounting for as much as 15% of the national total.
We remained focused on narrowing the "three major gaps" (the urban-rural income gap, the per capita GDP gap between eastern and western regions, and the wealth gap between the urban rich and poor) as our principal direction, making concrete progress in the construction of a demonstration zone for common prosperity. We consistently deepened the "Thousand Villages Demonstration and Ten Thousand Villages Renovation" project, supported the high-quality development of mountainous and island counties with a "one county, one policy" strategy, and leveraged the integration of basic public services as a breakthrough point to further reduce disparities between regions, urban and rural areas, and incomes. This fostered the integrated development of urban and rural areas, and accelerated the drawing of a new picture of "thousands of villages playing leading roles, tens of thousands of villages being revitalized, common prosperity across the province, and harmonious and beautiful urban and rural areas." In 2023, the per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents reached 74,997 yuan and 40,311 yuan, respectively, maintaining first place among all provinces and regions for 23 and 39 consecutive years, respectively. The urban-rural income gap ratio has narrowed to 1.86; the disparity between different regions continues to diminish; and the per capita disposable income gap ratio between the highest and lowest earners in cities with subordinate districts reduced to 1.56.
We put into practice the idea that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," and continuously make the effort to highlight the uniqueness of the "picturesque and dynamic Zhejiang." We are committed to building the province into a "big garden." In 2019, Zhejiang was recognized as the first ecological province in China. In 2023, the first National Ecology Day events were held in Zhejiang. The Green Rural Revival Program and the Blue Circle program that focuses on marine plastic waste treatment won the United Nation's Champions of the Earth award, successively. The province's forest coverage rate stands at 61.3%, ranking the third in the country.
Zhejiang is committed to implementing a "streamlined, safe and splendid" competition planning protocol for sporting events, ensuring that both the Hangzhou Asian Games and Asian Para Games are successful. Additionally, such efforts also serve as a window to showcase Chinese modernization. The Hangzhou Asian Games and Asian Para Games deliver to the world a great event that is distinctly Chinese, uniquely Asian and spectacular, allowing the world, therefore, to experience the dramatic changes in Zhejiang under the guidance of the "Double-Eight Strategy," as well as the outcomes of China's high-quality development and the vitality of modernization. It also gives a strong impetus for us to keep going on the new journey and make achievements in the new era.
We will thoroughly study and implement the spirit of important speeches and instructions made by General Secretary Xi Jinping, and take high-quality development as an obligatory task, striving to reach the goal of meeting people's expectations for a better life. We will implement the "Double-Eight Strategy" in a pragmatic manner and aim toward writing a new chapter in advancing Chinese modernization in Zhejiang, so as to contribute more to the building of a strong country and rejuvenation of our nation.
That's all for my brief introduction. Thank you.
Chen Wenjun:
Thank you, Mr. Wang. Now the floor is open for questions. Please identify your media outlet before raising questions.
