Provincial officials of northeast China's Liaoning Province attend a press briefing on writing a new chapter in Liaoning's full revitalization with greater responsibilities and efforts in Beijing, capital of China, April 23, 2024. (Xinhua/Pan Xu)

Northeast China's Liaoning Province, located in the country's former heavy industry heartland, is striving to achieve high-quality development to recapture its glory, provincial officials announced on Tuesday.

Li Lecheng, governor of Liaoning, told a press briefing in Beijing that efforts will be made to transform the province into a major supporting area for national strategies, a key source of technological innovation, a competitive hub for advanced manufacturing industries, a pioneer in the development of modern agriculture, a demonstration area for the integrated development of high-quality culture, sports, and tourism, and a core region for opening up and cooperation in Northeast Asia.

Last year, the province's GDP grew by 5.3 percent -- surpassing the national growth rate for the first time in a decade.

In the first quarter of 2024, Liaoning's growth rate increased to 5.4 percent, demonstrating even stronger resilience, vitality and creativity in high-quality development, Li said.

To write a new chapter in the story of comprehensive revitalization in Liaoning, the province will focus on developing new quality productive forces, making breakthroughs in deepening reform and opening up, consolidating advantages in promoting green development and improving the well-being of the people, he added.

Gao Tao, vice governor of Liaoning, stressed that innovation is the key to achieving high-quality development in Liaoning. "We must persist in driving development through both technological and institutional innovation."

This year, Liaoning will focus on building key industrial clusters and key laboratory clusters, further promoting the deep integration of scientific, technological and industrial innovation, Gao said.

Liaoning will also promote high-level scientific and technological self-reliance, and strengthen research in core technologies and key fields such as chemistry, materials, new energy, high-end equipment and integrated circuit equipment, Gao noted.

As a heavy industrial base, Liaoning will also accelerate its green and low-carbon transformation, said Wang Jian, executive vice governor of Liaoning.

Currently, clean energy installed capacity in Liaoning accounts for 49.5 percent of the province's total installed electricity generation capacity, and is expected to exceed 50 percent by the end of 2024. When the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) reaches its end, the proportion of clean energy installed capacity in the province is projected to reach 56.8 percent, according to Wang.