Speakers:
Mr. Wang Zhengpu, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Hebei Provincial Committee and governor of Hebei province
Mr. Zhang Chengzhong, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hebei Provincial Committee and executive vice governor of Hebei province
Ms. Jin Hui, vice governor of Hebei province
Mr. Zhao Dachun, vice governor of Hebei province
Chairperson:
Ms. Xing Huina, deputy director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO
Date:
April 29, 2024
Xing Huina:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). Today, we are holding the 13th press conference in the series "Promoting High-Quality Development." We have invited Mr. Wang Zhengpu, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Hebei Provincial Committee and governor of Hebei province, to brief you on forging ahead on a journey of high-quality development in the new era, and to take your questions. Also present today are Mr. Zhang Chengzhong, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hebei Provincial Committee and executive vice governor of Hebei province; Ms. Jin Hui, vice governor of Hebei province; and Mr. Zhao Dachun, vice governor of Hebei province.
Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Wang for his introduction.
Wang Zhengpu:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. It's a great pleasure to meet you all. First of all, on behalf of the CPC Hebei Provincial Committee and Hebei provincial government, I'd like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for your long-term interest in and support for Hebei's development.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has paid 11 visits to Hebei, where he delivered important speeches and issued vital instructions. Firmly implementing the guiding principles of the instructions, the entire province has focused on the primary task of promoting high-quality development and the strategic task of creating a new development pattern. We have fully and faithfully applied the new development philosophy on all fronts, and accelerated efforts to foster an economically prosperous and beautiful province. The province's GDP increased by 5.5% in 2023 and by 5.6% in the first quarter of this year. Major indicators have shown a steady increase, maintaining a favorable momentum.
Now, I'll offer a brief overview from five aspects:
First, we have emphasized innovation, striving to blaze new trails in advancing innovation-driven development. Taking scientific and technological innovation as a core factor in developing new quality productive forces, we have reinforced the principal role of enterprises in innovation, and worked to ensure policies such as additional tax deductions for R&D expenses benefit all eligible enterprises in Hebei, igniting a strong sense of innovation among them. We have established specialized teams to serve the "little giant" companies (novel and elite small and medium-sized enterprises that specialize in a niche market, boast cutting-edge technologies and show great potential). The proportion of industrial equipment connected to cloud platforms and the comprehensive computing index in Hebei rank among the top nationwide. Traditional industries such as steel and equipment manufacturing have made improvements in both quality and effectiveness, emerging industries like biomedicine and digital information have continued to grow, and future industries including aerospace information and satellite internet have been deployed rapidly, contributing to the rapid construction of a modern industrial system. Overall, Hebei is not giving up on traditional industries in its pursuit of innovative development. Meanwhile, it is also endeavoring to catch up in emerging and future industries.
Second, we have highlighted coordination, redoubling efforts to shoulder new responsibilities in promoting the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and building Xiong'an New Area according to high standards and quality requirements. With coordinated development deepening, the three regions have established a regular consultation mechanism, forming a tighter collaborative pattern. We have partnered with Beijing and Tianjin to develop six key industrial chains, including new energy and intelligent connected vehicles, as well as robots. More than 40,000 enterprises have transferred from Beijing and Tianjin, settling in Hebei. Last year, the volume of contracted technology transactions absorbed by Hebei from Beijing and Tianjin more than doubled, and a historic breakthrough was achieved in attracting second- and third-level subsidiaries of centrally administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs). As we all know, this year marks the 10th anniversary of General Secretary Xi Jinping proposing the strategy of the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. During the past decade, we have fully implemented a package of special support policies introduced by the central government and secured extraordinary achievements, with the Xiong'an New Area experiencing thriving growth. Construction has been expedited for headquarters of the first batch of relocated central SOEs, namely China Satellite Network Group, Sinochem Holdings, China Huaneng Group and Sinomine Resource Group, as well as Xiong'an campuses of the four universities of Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing University of Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University and the China University of Geosciences (Beijing). The Xiong'an branches of Beihai Kindergarten, Beijing Shijia Primary School, Beijing No. 4 High School and Beijing-based Xuanwu Hospital under Capital Medical University, all supported by Beijing, have entered into operation. The Xiong'an New Area Zhongguancun (ZGC) Science Park has been inaugurated, and noticeable results have been yielded with the series of visits to Xiong'an by a thousand ZGC enterprises, a hundred research institutes, a hundred renowned universities, and ten thousand university students in the capital. As a result, the popularity of Xiong'an is steadily increasing.
Third, we have pursued green development, endeavoring to achieve new breakthroughs in advancing the green transition in all respects. We have worked to make solid gains in the battle against pollution, and air quality has continued to improve. The water quality of Baiyangdian Lake has remained stable at Level III according to China's five-tier water assessment system, hastening the recovery of its crucial role as the "Kidney of North China." Strong efforts have been made to achieve Grade A environmental performance in key industries, with the number of steel enterprises in Hebei achieving Grade A for environmental performance ranking first nationwide, reaching 37. Integrated development of culture and tourism has been deepened, with total trips by tourists reaching 840 million last year. "So Close, So Beautiful, Spend Your Weekends in Hebei" has become a slogan for the province.
Fourth, we have enhanced opening-up, redoubling efforts to foster new advantages in deepening reform and opening-up. We have been committed to promoting development by prioritizing the improvement of the business environment, and have mobilized and made deployments for the province's "first meeting of the New Year" themed on business environment for two consecutive years. All enterprise- and people's wellbeing-related items subject to approval can now be handled in government service halls, while the 12345 hotline for government services has reached a stable connection rate of over 98%. Additionally, we have implemented "double-blind" (the information of both evaluation experts and bidders is not disclosed) evaluation reform in public bidding, enabling both SOEs and private businesses to enjoy the same treatment and engage in fair competition. The integration and upgrading of port resources has been promoted, with port cargo throughput surpassing 1.3 billion metric tons last year. The number of China-Europe freight trains has continued to rise.
Fifth, we have strived for shared benefits and made more efforts to achieve new progress in promoting common prosperity. Last year, we promptly relocated affected people when facing historically severe floods. We devoted maximum efforts to disaster rescue and relief, effectively protecting the lives and properties of our residents. We also made all-out efforts to focus on reconstruction after the disaster. We allocated compensation, rescue, and insurance funds in advance, ensuring those affected lived and worked in safe and warm places during the winter. Last year, our total grain output reached 76.2 billion jin (38.1 million metric tons), exceeding the target set by the country. Moreover, we have implemented rolling plans for projects related to people's livelihoods to raise public service standards in education, social security, elderly care, and healthcare. Nearly 900,000 urban jobs were added last year. Doing so has ensured our people feel a growing sense of fulfillment, happiness and security.
Going forward, Hebei will thoroughly implement the important guiding principles set by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his inspection of the province. We will work with solid steps to do a good job in each field, accelerate high-quality development, and strive for a new chapter for Hebei in pursuing Chinese modernization.
That is my brief introduction. Next, Zhang Chengzhong, Jin Hui, and Zhao Dachun, the three vice governors of Hebei, and I will answer your questions. Thank you, everyone.
Xing Huina:
Thank you for your introduction, Mr. Wang. The floor is now open for questions. Please identify the media agency you work for before asking your question.
