Red Star News:
China has decided to build Zhejiang into a demonstration zone for achieving common prosperity. Can you tell us what exemplary and leading roles Zhejiang has played in promoting common prosperity? What are Zhejiang 's achievements and plans for building a demonstration zone for achieving common prosperity? Thank you.
Zhu Guoxian:
Thank you for your attention to the high-quality construction of the demonstration zone for achieving common prosperity in Zhejiang. Common prosperity is the essential requirement of socialism and an important goal for socialist modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward a series of important views and proposals and made a series of important deployments. On Aug. 17, Xi stressed at the tenth meeting of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs that rather than being egalitarian or having only a few people prosperous, common prosperity refers to affluence shared by everyone, both in material and cultural terms, and shall be advanced step by step. The meeting encouraged creating conditions that are more inclusive and fair for people to get better education and improve their development capabilities, as well as shaping a development environment that provides chances for more people to become wealthy. Zhejiang is building a demonstration zone for achieving common prosperity in accordance with the requirements of Xi.
Entering the new journey of the Second Centenary Goal, Xi and the CPC Central Committee have given Zhejiang a new mission of building a demonstration zone for common prosperity through high-quality development. This is not only a political responsibility but also a golden opportunity for Zhejiang. Zhejiang held a plenary session for the provincial Party committee, which made special arrangements and put forward three concepts, namely, "supporting people to embark on the journey of prosperity through innovation and hard work, and encouraging those who have become better-off to help those still lagging behind," " government, society, enterprises and individuals working together" and "taking a phased-in approach from lower level to the higher and from part to whole." The three concepts are adopted to narrow the three gaps, including gaps between regions, urban and rural areas and incomes. The main objectives of "four leadings and three beauties" in the next five years and the main tasks of "carrying out demonstrations in seven aspects" have been clarified, and a phased road map and mission statement for promoting the construction of a demonstration zone for common prosperity has been formed.
Your question relates to what kind of development paradigm Zhejiang has adopted. I think we can use five scenarios to show Zhejiang demonstration zone for common prosperity through high-quality development. The first is one in which everyone participates and does their best to embark on the road of sustainable common prosperity, create a happy life, and build a better home through innovation, creation, self-efforts, and mutual help.
The second is a scenario of prosperity, which shows the organic unity of efficiency and fairness, as well as development and sharing. This not only requires vigorously developing productivity and continuously improving efficiency, but also preventing polarization, promoting and maintaining fairness, and realizing high-quality sharing. Our goal is that by 2025, the per capita GDP will reach 130,000 yuan and the per capita disposable income of residents will reach 75,000 yuan. Meanwhile, a new mechanism will be established and improved to encourage those who have become better-off to help those still lagging behind, so as to make development opportunities more equal and allow everyone to share in the fruits of development. Zhejiang province has 26 mountainous counties and we will focus on accelerating the development of these counties.
The third scene is a balanced picture of regional integration, promotion in all respects, and common prosperity. We will build a new framework of regional integration in urban and rural areas and shape an olive-shaped social structure with the middle-income population as the majority. By 2025, the per capita GDP difference ratio between the highest level and the lowest level in the province will narrow to within 2.1, and the income ratio between urban and rural residents will be down to within 1.9. Zhejiang is now the only province where the income ratio between urban and rural residents is within 2, compared to 1.98:1 last year.
Zhejiang province aims to have 80% of all households earn an annual disposable income from 100,000 yuan ($15,520) to 500,000 yuan ($77,600), and 45% of all households earn an annual disposable income from 200,000 yuan ($31,040) to 600,000 yuan ($93,120).
The fourth scene is a civilized picture, which features the prosperity of people's cultural activities, harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and social solidarity and harmony.
Zhejiang province will make overall economic, political, cultural, social, and environmental progress. We will promote cultural innovation to enhance ideological progress and develop civilization to promote social progress to pursue common prosperity in cultural term, promote harmonious coexistence between man and nature and social harmony.
The fifth scene is happiness that people can see, touch, and experience. Zhejiang province will make a digital transformation to promote quality and efficiency of public services to solve people's problems, worries, expectations, and concerns. It will take the lead in making significant progress in ensuring access to childcare, education, employment, medical services, elderly care, housing, and social assistance to meet people's multilevel and diverse needs in their entire life.
I'm here to invite you to Zhejiang to experience and join in building the five scenes of a happy life. You're welcome to give valuable advice on the building of Zhejiang into a demonstration zone for achieving common prosperity. Thank you.
