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Speakers:

Mr. Yin Yong, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Beijing Municipal Committee and mayor of Beijing

Mr. Xia Linmao, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and executive vice mayor of Beijing

Mr. Jin Wei, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and vice mayor of Beijing

Mr. Yu Yingjie, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, secretary of the Education Work Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, and a member of the Leading Party Members Group of the Beijing Municipal People's Government

Chairperson:

Mr. Chen Wenjun, director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date:

March 19, 2024

Chen Wenjun:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and is also a crucial year for achieving the objectives and tasks laid out in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). We will hold a series of press conferences themed "Promoting High-Quality Development," inviting relevant departments from the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities as well as from the central government. They will introduce measures and achievements in implementing the decisions and arrangements made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. Today, we are holding the first press conference in the series. We have invited Mr. Yin Yong, deputy secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and mayor of Beijing, to brief you on leveraging Beijing's strategic role as the national capital and initiating a new chapter in high-quality development, and to take your questions. Also present today are Mr. Xia Linmao, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and executive vice mayor of Beijing; Mr. Jin Wei, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and vice mayor of Beijing; and Mr. Yu Yingjie, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, secretary of the Education Work Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, and a member of the Leading Party Members Group of the Beijing Municipal People's Government.

Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Yin for his introduction.

Yin Yong:

Friends from the media, good morning. It gives me great pleasure to meet you here and brief you on leveraging Beijing's strategic role as the national capital and initiating a new chapter in high-quality development. I would like to begin by extending, on behalf of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and the Beijing Municipal People's Government, our heartfelt appreciation for your long-standing support for Beijing-related work.

The CPC Central Committee attaches great importance to Beijing's high-quality development. General Secretary Xi Jinping has conducted several inspection tours of Beijing and provided personal guidance on key issues, critical plans and priorities related to the capital's long-term development. In line with the grand blueprint for the capital's development, we have outlined specific tasks and worked hard to bring the overall vision to reality. Last year, Beijing's gross regional product (GRP) grew by 5.2% from the previous year to 4.4 trillion yuan ($611.23 billion). General public budget revenue increased by 8.2%, exceeding 600 billion yuan. Per capita GRP remained the highest among provincial-level regions in China, while energy and water consumption per 10,000 yuan of GRP were the lowest. All in all, solid progress has been made in the capital's high-quality development.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of founding of the PRC, and is a crucial year for achieving the objectives and tasks laid out in the 14th Five-Year Plan. Beijing will fully act on the guiding principles of the Central Economic Work Conference and implement the plans made at the annual "two sessions." With high-quality development as our top priority in the new era and Chinese modernization as our principal political objective, we will adhere to the general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, promoting stability through progress, and establishing the new before abolishing the old. We will further incorporate the Five Key Initiatives [namely, building Beijing into an international center for innovation; making progress in building the "two zones" — the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening up the Services Sector and the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone; developing the digital economy; stimulating and creating new demand through supply-side structural reform; and making greater headway with Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development through relocation of functions non-essential to the role of the capital] into the new development dynamic and redouble efforts to promote the capital's development in the new era.

First, we will reinforce Beijing's role as the national capital and actively fulfill our responsibilities in promoting the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province. This year marks the 10th anniversary of advancing Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development. With further implementation of the Master Plan of Development for Beijing (2016-2035), we will improve the incentives and set mandatory targets to relieve Beijing of its non-capital functions in a steadfast and orderly way, improve the city's services for the central Party and government bodies, and enhance the city's overall living environment. We will continue to support Xiong'an New Area, with its development as part of our own duties, and set well-conceived annual targets to drive the high-quality development of the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center. In collaboration with Tianjin and Hebei, we will develop a metropolitan area around the capital featuring integrated transport networks, joint eco-conservation actions, seamless sharing of public services, and coordinated functions. Our goal is to turn the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region into a pilot and demonstration zone for Chinese modernization.

Second, we will enhance the development of Beijing as an international center for scientific and technological innovation to fully unleash the city's strengths in nurturing new quality productive forces. We will coordinate education, technology and talent resources of Beijing to bolster our scientific and technological capabilities. We will continue to implement action plans to secure the city's leading position in basic research and achieve breakthroughs in core technologies within key fields. Forward-looking plans will be adopted to open up new grounds in future-oriented industries. We will build a modernized innovation-led industrial system and accelerate a number of landmark projects in such sectors as integrated circuits, new energy vehicles and biomanufacturing. To establish Beijing as a global pacesetter in the digital economy, we will strengthen and expand our lead in artificial intelligence, high-level autonomous driving and among other domains. We will work quickly to foster an innovation ecosystem. Pilot reform measures for the Zhongguancun Science Park will be implemented on a rolling basis to elevate it into a world-class science park that better empowers the capital's high-quality development.

Third, we will strive to become a pilot zone for the Beautiful China Initiative, demonstrating Beijing's resolve in fighting against pollution. We will cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, expand green development and pursue economic growth in a coordinated way. We will step up efforts to keep the skies blue. We will consolidate our gains in air quality improvement. We will work actively and prudently toward peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. To further improve the energy mix, we will scale up green electricity transmissions to our city and work to raise the share of renewable power to 25%. We will continue to turn Beijing into a national forest city, implant vitality into urban park spaces and design a picturesque garden city, enabling citizens to fully enjoy the pleasures of park visits and allowing the city to flourish with natural beauty.

Fourth, we will advance the "two zones" development to further explore Beijing's path toward more in-depth reform and wider opening-up. We will expedite the implementation of the latest work plan to accelerate the development of the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening up the Services Sector and further develop the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone in order to cultivate more experiences that can be replicated in other parts of China. We will make "Beijing services" a recognizable brand representing excellent governmental support for business operation by introducing more favorable policies that are readily and swiftly accessible with no requirement for enterprises to complete applications. In doing so, we aim to create a top-class business environment characterized by stability, fairness, transparency and predictability.

Fifth, we will ensure and improve people's well-being to establish Beijing as a model for precision urban governance. By focusing on improving people's well-being in seven aspects and meeting their expectations for a better life in five areas, we will enhance our reform in delivering swift responses to public complaints, effectively addressing issues that our people are most concerned about. We will ensure comprehensive management of the city's transportation system with the goal of raising the rate of green commuting to 75% in the downtown districts. More will be done to support dependent elders and toddlers, including expanding care services for elderly individuals with physical and mental challenges and adding 10,000 public-interest nursery slots for children under the age of three. We will continue to deepen the integrated reform of medical treatment, medical insurance and medicine supplies to better meet the healthcare needs of our citizens. A total of 70,000 units of rental housing for low-income groups will be made available and 80,000 units of government-subsidized housing will be established. To ensure both development and security, we will make our city more resilient, intelligent and livable while stepping up post-disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts. Our goal is to ensure that our people experience a growing sense of fulfillment, happiness and security through solid improvements in our work.

That's all from me for now. Thank you all!

Chen Wenjun:

Thank you, Mr. Yin. Now, the floor is open for questions. Please identify the news agency you represent before asking questions.