Speakers:
Mr. Wang Yubo, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Yunnan Provincial Committee and governor of Yunnan province
Mr. Wang Xiangang, deputy secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the Yunnan Provincial Government
Mr. Liu Yong, vice governor of Yunnan 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:
May 31, 2024
Xing Huina:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). This is the 25th press conference in the series "Promoting High-Quality Development." Today, we are pleased to have invited Mr. Wang Yubo, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Yunnan Provincial Committee and governor of Yunnan province, who will brief you on taking solid steps to promote high-quality development in Yunnan province, and then take your questions. Also present today are Mr. Wang Xiangang, deputy secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the Yunnan Provincial Government; and Mr. Liu Yong, vice governor of Yunnan province.
Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Wang Yubo for his introduction.
Wang Yubo:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I'm delighted to be here to introduce high-quality development in Yunnan to you all. Entrusted by Wang Ning, secretary of the CPC Yunnan Provincial Committee, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the CPC Yunnan Provincial Committee, the People's Government of Yunnan Province, and people of all ethnic groups in the province for your long-term attention, assistance and support for Yunnan.
When speaking of Yunnan, people often think of its year-round spring climate, local song and dance, want to visit the location of the hit TV show "Meet Yourself" and experience the unique "Yunnan lifestyle." I would like to start by highlighting three keywords. First, "beautiful." Since ancient times, Yunnan has been given such poetic names as "Colorful Yunnan" and "South of the Colorful Clouds." It is a representation of China's beauty and a microcosm of the Chinese nation united as a family. Second, "advancing." Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Yunnan's total economy has risen from 1.1 trillion yuan in 2012 to 3 trillion yuan in 2023, with the quality of development continuously improving. Third, "open." As a major passageway in China connecting South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean region, we have constantly been opening up, serving as a bridge and link between China and the rest of the world.
General Secretary Xi Jinping cares deeply about the development of Yunnan and the people of all ethnic groups there. He has called on Yunnan to forge a path of leapfrog development, striving to become an example of ethnic unity and progress, a pacesetter in eco-conservation and a new pivot in China's opening up facing South and Southeast Asia. We have thoroughly implemented the guiding principles from General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech during his inspections of Yunnan. We have formulated and implemented the "3815" strategic development goals, which involves a 3-year plan to upgrade economic performance, 8-year plan to achieve high-quality growth and 15-year plan to realize leapfrog development. We have continuously strengthened the resource economy, park economy and port economy, and are promoting Chinese modernization in Yunnan through high-quality leapfrog development.
We have taken on the significant responsibility of ecological protection, and the bedrock of green development is becoming increasingly prominent. Blue sky, white clouds, fresh air, green mountains and clean rivers are the most distinctive attributes of Yunnan. For the sake of ecological protection, we are willing to forego immediate benefits, growth rate and GDP. Our forest area ranks second in the country, and the air quality in urban areas has ranked among the best in the country for seven consecutive years. In 2023, the average PM2.5 concentration was 21.8 micrograms per cubic meter, nearly 30% lower than the national average. Ottelia acuminata, an indicator of water quality, blooms in Dianchi Lake and Erhai Lake, and the water quality of Fuxian Lake and Lugu Lake continues to be rated "Class I." The terms "animal kingdom," "plant kingdom," "world garden" and "species gene bank" are the most accurate descriptions of Yunnan. We have comprehensively strengthened biodiversity protection, and the number of higher plants, vertebrates and macro fungi each account for more than 50% of the country's total, making Yunnan one of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots. Ecological priority and green development are Yunnan's most important duties and missions. We reject earnings from pollution and refuse polluting projects, thus promoting the comprehensive green transformation of socio-economic development.
We have strived to develop distinctive and competitive local industries, making steadier progress in industrial transformation and upgrades. Adhering to the general principle of progressing forward without looking back as long as what we are doing agrees with the new development philosophy, and firmly avoiding any actions that don't agree with this philosophy, we have placed high-quality development on the top of our agenda and have accelerated the construction of a modernized industrial system that fits Yunnan's reality. The province is devoted to developing itself into China's major clean energy production center. In 2023, Yunnan's total installed generating capacity exceeded 130 million kilowatts, with installed capacity of green energy accounting for nearly 90%, a proportion that leads the country. Over the past three plus decades, more than 1.5 trillion kilowatt-hours of power were sent from Yunnan to eastern regions including Guangdong, Shanghai, Guangxi and Zhejiang through the West-to-East Electricity Transmission Project. The amount is ranked number one in the country and has led to the reduction of more than 1.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in eastern regions. The province has devoted itself to building a national strategic non-ferrous metal industrial base. Yunnan's proportion is relatively high in the country's total output value when it comes to new materials of precious metals, as well as in the production capacity of green aluminum and photovoltaic monocrystalline silicon and shipments of new energy battery anode material. The province has devoted itself to establishing a modern eco-agriculture base with plateau characteristics. Our planting scales and yields for tea, flowers, nuts, coffee and Chinese medicinal herbs are the largest in the country. The province is devoted to turning itself into a top tourism brand as a global destination. Both the number of tourists and the tourism revenue in Yunnan led the country in 2023.
We have expanded both domestic and global openness, boosting Yunnan's role in driving the development of surrounding areas. Focusing on building Yunnan into an axle, we have continued to leverage the role of China-Laos Railway as a golden channel. We have also innovated and operated series of international freight trains connecting the Yangtze River Delta to the east, Europe to the north and countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to the south. These routes cover 31 provinces and equivalent administrative units in China, as well as 12 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). We have innovatively promoted the trusteeship transfer of Mohan town between Kunming city and Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, so as to jointly build an international port city. We have also coordinated the development of 28 ports, pilot free trade zones and industrial parks in border areas to effectively embrace the transfer of industries from home and abroad.
We have spared no efforts to secure and improve people's well-being, so that people of various ethnic groups now enjoy a better life day by day. After we shook off poverty, we have concentrated on the central task to increase people's incomes. This year, we aim to eliminate the phenomenon of households with per capita net income of less than 10,000 yuan. These families, who have the ability to work, have already been lifted out of poverty and are monitored for preventing them from falling back into poverty. Every year, around 74% of Yunnan's government expenditures have gone toward ensuring people's well-being, solving pressing difficulties and problems that concern them the most and better satisfying their demands for employment, education, medical services and elderly care. In addition, all villages along the borderlines have completed the construction of modernized and happy border villages.
Yunnan in real life is more splendid than the one in my oral introduction. We welcome all our media friends to take a walk and have a look in this province.
Thank you.
Xing Huina:
Thank you for your introduction, Mr. Wang. Now the floor is open for questions. Please identify your media outlet before raising your questions.
