Read in Chinese

Speakers:

Mr. Gong Zheng, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shanghai Municipal Committee and mayor of Shanghai

Mr. Hua Yuan, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and deputy mayor of Shanghai

Mr. Gu Jun, secretary-general of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and director of the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission

Chairperson:

Ms. Shou Xiaoli, deputy director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date:

March 28, 2024

Shou Xiaoli:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). This is the third press conference in the series "Promoting High-Quality Development." Today, we are glad to be joined by Mr. Gong Zheng, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shanghai Municipal Committee and mayor of Shanghai, who will brief you on the "five centers" initiative of Shanghai and accelerating the building of a modern socialist international metropolis with global influence, and then take your questions. Also present today are Mr. Hua Yuan, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and deputy mayor of Shanghai; and Mr. Gu Jun, secretary-general of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and director of the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission.

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

Gong Zheng:

Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning. It is a great pleasure to have the opportunity to brief you on Shanghai's high-quality development and its expedited efforts in building "five centers." On behalf of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, I would like to start by extending my deep appreciation for your long-standing interest in and support for the development of Shanghai.

The construction of international centers of economy, finance, trade, shipping and sci-tech innovation in Shanghai is not only an important mission entrusted to the city by the CPC Central Committee, but also the only path for Shanghai to achieve high-quality development. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, Shanghai has continuously facilitated the construction of "five centers" and seen remarkable progress in enhancing its urban functions and core competitiveness. In terms of building an international economic center, Shanghai's GDP reached 4.72 trillion yuan (about $663.7 billion) in 2023, continuing to rank among the top cities in the world. Regarding its international financial center construction, the turnover of Shanghai's financial markets hit a record high in 2023, exceeding 3,300 trillion yuan. Licensed financial institutions continued to gather in Shanghai, with the total number reaching 1,771 by the end of last year, including 548 foreign-funded ones. As for the development of an international trade center, in 2023, the total international trade volume of goods at Shanghai ports hit 10.7 trillion yuan, accounting for 3.6% of the world's total, maintaining first place among all cities worldwide. With respect to the city's establishment of an international shipping center, the container throughput of Shanghai Port also reached a record high in 2023 with 49.158 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), ranking first globally for 14 consecutive years. In addition, Shanghai's development of a sci-tech innovation center has seen three inspiring achievements: The city's total R&D expenditure reached around 4.4% of its GDP; the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people rose to 50.2; and the city secured fifth place in the latest Science and Technology Cluster Ranking by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

On the new journey, we will thoroughly implement the guiding principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech delivered during his visit to Shanghai, bearing in mind the Party's and the people's expectations and developing a stronger sense of mission and responsibility. Focusing on the primary task of facilitating high-quality development and the strategic task of creating a new development pattern, we will prioritize the building of the "five centers," ensure coordination in various aspects concerning socioeconomic development, and expedite the efforts to build Shanghai into a modern socialist international metropolis with global influence, so as to fully leverage the city's leading and exemplary role in developing a Chinese path to modernization.

First, we will accelerate efforts to build Shanghai into an international economic center focusing on improving its international standing and global influence in economic governance. We will continue bolstering the city's GDP, strive to create a modern industrial system, and pursue new quality productive forces based on unique local characteristics. We will emphasize the enabling role of sci-tech innovation, enhance further integration between sci-tech innovation and industrial innovation, and proactively advance new industrialization. We will adopt a coordinated approach to promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, bolstering the development of emerging industries, and developing future-oriented industries in advance, in a bid to create a group of world-class high-end industrial clusters.