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Read in Chinese

Speakers:

Gong Zheng, deputy secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and mayor of Shanghai

Chen Yin, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and executive vice mayor of Shanghai

Zhou Huilin, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee

Chairperson:

Chen Wenjun, spokesperson of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC)

Date:

April 22, 2021

Chen Wenjun:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. The press conferences will provide a new window for Chinese and foreign media to understand China, and especially the CPC. We will invite officials from relevant departments of the CPC Central Committee and local Party committees to attend press conferences from time to time. Relevant departments and the local governments will be invited to introduce how they are implementing the major decisions and deployments made by General Secretary Xi Jinping and the CPC Central Committee, and the situations surrounding the implementation of the Party's basic theories, fundamental political guidelines and basic policies. We will also invite representatives of outstanding Party members on the frontlines from various social sectors to meet with you and introduce how they play an exemplary role, undertake their original mission, lead the people in starting businesses, and so on.

Shanghai is the birthplace of the CPC. On the occasion of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party, we invited Mr. Gong Zheng, deputy secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and mayor of Shanghai to brief you issues on inheriting red traditions to promote high quality development in the new era. We also have with us Mr. Chen Yin, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and executive vice mayor of Shanghai, and Mr. Zhou Huilin, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee.

Next, I will give the floor to Mr. Gong.

Gong Zheng:

Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media: On the occasion of celebrating the CPC's centenary, I'm glad to have the opportunity to introduce the situation in Shanghai to you all. First of all, on behalf of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and the Shanghai municipal government, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you all for your long-term interest in and support for Shanghai.

Shanghai is the birthplace of the Party and where the dream began. The red traditions flow through the veins of the city. Shanghai has witnessed the glorious rise of the Party over the past century and vividly demonstrates its great spirit. The city was once divided among the occupying foreign powers, while the ordinary people's lives were filled with toil and struggle within the confinements of the foreign concessions. Now, under the Party's leadership, Shanghai has been completely transformed and taken on a thriving new look. The city has risen to become a socialist modern international metropolis, standing tall and firm in the East and striding forward into the future.  

The CPC Central Committee has always entrusted important tasks in and placed high expectations on Shanghai. Since the 19th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has personally visited the city every year and given important speeches, proclaiming the role, direction and priorities of Shanghai in the new era. Bearing in mind the instructions of General Secretary Xi, the citizens of Shanghai are dedicated to reform and opening up as well as innovation-driven development, and continue to break new ground in all undertakings. After years of hard work, Shanghai has already become an international economic, financial, trade and shipping center, and is set to become a center for innovation in science and technology with global influence. 

First, today's Shanghai has strong economic prowess. In 2020, Shanghai's GDP reached 3.87 trillion yuan, the sixth largest among all cities in the world. It ranked third on both the Global Financial Centers Index and the Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Development Index in 2020. Total trade volume amounted to 8.75 trillion yuan, the highest of all cities worldwide. The container throughput of the Port of Shanghai reached 43.5 million TEUs, ranking first in the world for 11 consecutive years. A modern industrial system is gradually taking shape, in which the modern service sector is the mainstay, strategic emerging industries set the direction, and advanced manufacturing provides the strongest backing. The capabilities of various industries throughout the entire value chain have been continuously improved.

Second, today's Shanghai is filled with innovation and vitality. In 2020, total R&D expenditure exceeded 4% of the city's GDP, which is on par with developed countries. Shanghai is home to 785 regional headquarters of multinational companies, 486 foreign R&D centers, 85 national R&D institutions, and more than 500 makerspaces of various kinds. Shanghai also boasts a number of world-class big science facilities such as the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) and the National Center for Protein Science (Shanghai). In addition to a number of groundbreaking achievements accomplished in Shanghai such as the cloning of monkeys by somatic cell nuclear transfer, a new drug for treating Alzheimer's disease, and the 10 petawatt laser pulse delivered by the Shanghai Superintense Ultrafast Laser Facility, Shanghai's technological wisdom is also widely reflected in such major science and technology projects as the Jiaolong manned submersible, Tiangong space lab, Beidou navigation satellite system, Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), Mozi quantum satellite and large civil jet aircraft. 

Third, today's Shanghai is an attractive city for talent from near and far. Shanghai is blessed with the rich cultural heritage of China's southern regions and a unique local culture. More importantly, the CPC's century-long history has nurtured the rich red culture and refined the city's distinctive character. The spirit of "diversity, pursuit of excellence, open-mindedness and humbleness" and its character of "openness, innovation and inclusiveness" have made Shanghai an attractive place for talented professionals. There are 63 higher learning institutions in the city, with 760,000 enrolled students and 179 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Over 280,000 foreign nationals now work in the city. Shanghai has been named the "most attractive Chinese city in the eyes of foreign talent" for eight consecutive years. 

Fourth, people in Shanghai enjoy happy, well-off and harmonious lives. In 2020, the per capita disposable income of Shanghai residents increased to 72,000 yuan. The city has ensured equitable access to basic public services for urban and rural residents, and further improved public service systems covering employment, social security, housing, old-age care, childcare, education and health. The average life expectancy at birth has reached 83.67 years, which is among the highest in the world. Transportation has also been made more efficient. The total length of rail transit in operation amounts to 772 kilometers, ranking first among all cities in the world. Urban governance has been made more scientific, detail-oriented and intelligence-enabled. Shanghai is one of the safest cities in the world, and stability and order are hallmarks of the city.

Fifth, today's Shanghai has an eco-friendly environment with blue sky and clean water. Its total spending on environmental protection has remained around 3% of the city's GDP for 18 years in a row. In 2020, the average PM2.5 concentration in Shanghai dropped to 32 micrograms per cubic meter, and water bodies with a national quality rating of Grade V were basically eliminated. Garbage sorting is leading a new trend in people's lifestyles. A system for the collection, transportation and disposal of sorted domestic waste has been basically established, and a zero-landfill policy for untreated domestic waste has largely been achieved. The green area per capita has increased to 8.5 square meters, growing from the size of "a pair of shoes" to that of "a room." People in Shanghai can now find more places to exercise, relax and enjoy nature.

As the old Chinese saying goes, "when drinking water, one should not forget its source." Shanghai owes its development and progress to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, to the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping at the core of the CPC Central Committee, and at the core of the Party as a whole, as well as to the wise decisions of the CPC Central Committee. Shanghai's achievements are also attributable to the strong support of people across the country and the wisdom and hard work of the Shanghai people. As we review the past from this vantage point, the tremendous changes Shanghai has undergone over the past century fully testifies to the strength of the leadership of the Party and socialism with Chinese characteristics. All the people of Shanghai are now more confident and determined to follow the Party and forge ahead along the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Shanghai, the glorious birthplace of the Party, marks the beginning of our centennial journey. As we stride forward, we will pass on the traditions of revolution while staying true to our original aspiration and mission. Following the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee, we will carry out the campaign for learning Party history. The 100 years of Party history will reaffirm our beliefs and gather powerful strength. We will act as a trailblazer and shoulder our responsibilities as a pioneer on the new journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-around way. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Shanghai needs to have a full understating of the new development stage, apply the new development philosophy, and help foster a new development paradigm to promote high-quality development, create high-quality life for the people, and achieve highly efficient governance. By 2025, Shanghai will achieve significant results in implementing major national strategies, make great headway in its digital transformation, and scale new heights in its core functions as an international economic, financial, trade, and shipping center as well as a hub of innovation in science and technology. It will also take new steps in building a people's city, and writing a new chapter revolving around a "better city, better life" in the new era. To that end, we aim to make breakthroughs in the following four aspects.  

First, we will make strides in deepening reform and opening up. We must deepen reform by freeing our minds, expand opening up by embracing the world, and strive for innovation by breaking away from conventions. We will be fully committed to high-level reform and opening up in the Pudong New Area, as well as in the three new major tasks, namely, the development of the Lin'gang Special Area; the pilot registration-based IPO system for the STAR market and the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region. We will strive to ensure the sustained success of the annual China International Import Expo (CIIE).

Second, we will make breakthroughs in strengthening the core functions of the city. We will advance the city's development as an international economic, financial, trade, shipping, and innovation center across the board; step up its "Four Functions" of global resource allocation, science and technology innovation, leadership in high-end industries, and a hub for opening up; and build an international digital capital with global influence in an attempt to better represent the country in international cooperation and competition with continuously upgraded urban capacity and core competitiveness. 

Third, we will make breakthroughs in serving the new development paradigm. We will accelerate the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, and put in place a new paradigm for urban planning and zoning, that is, promote central districts' spillover effect; orient the Lin'gang Special Area, the demonstration zone for green and integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, and Hongqiao Business District as hubs for opening up; develop five new towns; and transform Baoshan and Jinshan districts. We will put emphasis on the development of the innovation-driven economy, service economy, open economy, headquarters economy, and flux economy. We will also advance integrated urban-rural development and go all-out to become a central node for China's domestic circulation and a strategic link between domestic and international circulations. 

Fourth, we will make breakthroughs in building a people's city. Adhering to the key philosophy that "a people's city is built by the people and for the people," we will work to ensure that our people enjoy a better life with a stronger sense of happiness. Our vision is to build a people's city where each and every individual has the chance to rise and shine, is able to participate in governance in an orderly manner, enjoy a decent life, and feel warm and welcome with a sense of belonging. 

General Secretary Xi Jinping outlined that, "on the great journey of China's development in the new era, Shanghai will definitely create new world-dazzling miracles and demonstrate the new splendor of building a socialist modern country." It is an expectation as well as a command. We must be more united around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, bear in mind the goal of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in spite of the world's major changes unseen in a century, have a profound understanding of the national strategies and priorities, and pursue the city's development based on its strategic position amid the background of economic globalization while keeping in mind the development of the country as a whole and the overall plan for the development of the Yangtze River Delta region. We will forge ahead at a faster pace to create new miracles and demonstrate new splendor on the journey of building a socialist modern international metropolis with worldwide influence.

This is the end of my opening introduction. My colleagues Mr. Chen, Mr. Zhou, and I are ready to answer your questions.

Chen Wenjun:

Thank you, Mr. Gong. The floor is now open for questions. Please identify the news organization you represent before asking questions.

CCTV:

According to Shanghai's 14th Five-Year Plan, the municipality will strive to become a central point for China's domestic circulation and a strategic link connecting domestic and international circulation in China's new development paradigm. Can you detail this deployment? What are the key areas where efforts will be made? Thank you!

Gong Zheng:

Shanghai's goal in China's new development paradigm is to serve as a central point for domestic circulation and a strategic link connecting domestic and international circulation, just as I introduced earlier. This means the city will better serve production, distribution, flow of goods and services, and consumption in China to further smooth national economic circulation. The strategic link for domestic and international circulation mainly focuses on exchanges in which we aim to achieve four links: factor link, production capacity link, market link and link of rules. We will reinforce the city's position as a hub for domestic openness and openness to the outside world, and make it the best springboard for going global and a forward position for bringing in. The overall deployment is to accelerate efforts in the following four aspects.

First, we will pursue integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region and carry out relevant strategies accordingly. We will give full play to Shanghai's leading role in the region, and strengthen institutional innovation, deepen cooperation, promote both domestic openness and openness to the outside world, and enhance the level of complementarity and coordination within the Yangtze River Delta region while keeping our focus on integrated and high-quality development.

Second, we will accelerate efforts to form a new spatial pattern for development. We will enhance the capacity of the main urban areas to serve and drive the development of other areas. We will give full play to the roles of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, the Lingang Special Area of the zone, the Demonstration Zone for Green and Integrated Development of the Yangtze River Delta Region and the Hongqiao International Hub for Opening-up, which are located in east and west Shanghai. We will build the five districts of Jiading, Qingpu, Songjiang, Fengxian and Nanhui into independent comprehensive peripheral cities. We will promote the functional layout adjustment and economic structure upgrading of Baoshan and Jinshan in north and south Shanghai. Among these efforts, the top priority is the development of the five districts of Jiading, Qingpu, Songjiang, Fengxian and Nanhui. Their development will feature industry-city integration, complete function, work-living balance, livability, convenient transportation and efficient governance to become new strategic points for Shanghai's future development.

Third, we will accelerate the improvement of the economic growth pattern. Much of our attention will be paid to pressing ahead with the development of five types of economy: the innovation economy, the service economy, the headquarters economy, the open economy and the flow economy. These types of economy represent the city's economic growth direction as well as the strength and advantages of Shanghai's economy.

Fourth, we will accelerate integrated urban-rural development. Suburbs and villages are precious rare resources for Shanghai. Without the modernization of the suburban countryside, there will be no modernization for the entirety of Shanghai. We will further carry out the rural vitalization strategy, promote two-way flow of capital and talents, and work toward overall integration and common prosperity of urban and rural areas.

Therefore, we will continue to improve strength in the following four aspects. 

First, we will strengthen scientific and technological innovation for greater growth momentum. We will uphold the core position of innovation in development, and accelerate efforts to build up China's strategic capacity in science and technology, resolve bottleneck problems, give play to the role of enterprises as the principal entities in technological innovation, and build an international high-caliber innovation talent pool.

Second, we will tap the potential of domestic demand for more growth potential. We will promote efforts to expand consumption and improve consumption quality, increase the efficiency of investment, transform and upgrade foreign trade, and vigorously develop the "debut of new products" economy, night economy, tax refund and exemption economy, and brand economy. 

Third, we will further promote reform and opening-up for greater vitality. We will spearhead efforts to systematically integrate reform measures, increase their synergy and efficiency, and gain experience. We will accelerate efforts to build an open economy on a higher level, promote high-level reform and opening-up in Pudong district, and build a leading model for socialist modernization.

Fourth, we will further promote digital transformation. We will focus on three aspects of digitalization -- forming new supply via digital economy, meeting new demand via digital life, and optimizing environment via digital governance – so as to create an international digital metropolis with global influence. Thank you!

China Daily:

My question is about the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta. Since General Secretary Xi Jinping announced that the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta has been upgraded to a national strategy, there have been many highlights in its implementation and progress in Shanghai, such as the Lingang Special Area, the integrated demonstration zone, and the recent Hongqiao International Hub for Opening Up. Could you tell us your specific progress so far? What new measures are there for the next step? Thank you.

Chen Yin:

Thanks for your question. The integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta is a national strategy. Shanghai must actively take the initiative to play its leading role; focus on the two key points of integration and high quality; achieve two big tasks on opening up to the domestic and outside world; focus on three key zones that are the Lingang Special Area of the pilot free trade zone, the integrated demonstration zone, and Hongqiao International Hub for Opening Up; and spare no efforts to explore new paths to foster a new development paradigm.

For the Lingang Special Area in China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the central government has issued an overall construction plan. The area was officially inaugurated in Shanghai on Aug. 20, 2019. It has been 20 months until now. A total of 78 tasks are specified in the overall plan, and currently almost 90% of the tasks have been implemented. Up to now, the construction of the special area has gathered momentum and achieved visible results, which is mainly reflected in the "three batches." First, a batch of major institutional innovations have been introduced. The entire Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone is conducting independent customs operation after passing acceptance inspection, and the administration power concerning administrative approval and enforcement for 1,170 items at city and district levels are delegated to the administrative committee of the special area. Second, a batch of major projects have begun. Up to now, nearly 600 projects have been signed, with a total investment of nearly 400 billion yuan, most of which are focused on key areas such as integrated circuits, artificial intelligence (AI), biomedicine and aerospace. Third, a batch of major projects have started construction, including 18 projects on social undertakings and people's livelihood. Next, the Lingang Special Area will be guided by the "five important" tasks set by General Secretary Xi Jinping. (These are to build Lingang Special Area into an important base for gathering talent at home and abroad to carry out international innovation and collaboration; to build an important hub for coordinating the development of onshore and offshore businesses; to build an important springboard for enterprises to go global; to build an important channel to make better use of domestic and international markets; and to build an important experimental field for participating in international economic governance.) We will go forward with unabated fever, unabated momentum, unabated intensity of reform and innovation, and achieve more visible and influential actual results.

The second key zone is the demonstration zone for the eco-friendly integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta. This area spans the three administrative regions of Shanghai, Jiangsu province and Zhejiang province. Last year, we formed a national land and space plan covering 2,413 square kilometers of the demonstration zone. We have made 32 integrated institutional innovation achievements, which are currently being replicated and promoted in other regions. At the same time, we promoted 60 key and highlight projects last year and achieved a good start. Next, it is necessary to gain a keen sense of coordinating all the activities like playing a chess game. We will focus on eight aspects such as planning management, ecological protection, land management and factor flow, and deepen our exploration, so as to form more easily replicated and popularised institutional innovations.

The third key zone is the Hongqiao International Hub for Opening Up. The overall construction plan for this zone was approved by the State Council on Feb. 24 this year, and was issued for implementation. In the overall plan, the functional layout of "One Core and Two Belts" was determined. "One Core" is Hongqiao Central Business District, with an area of 151 square kilometers, including the Hongqiao transportation hub, National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), and its surrounding business districts, industrial districts, and residential districts. "Two Belts" refer to the north and south belts linking Shanghai and related areas of Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang, covering an area of 7,000 square kilometers, including 2,100 square kilometers in Shanghai. Next, in accordance with the requirements of the overall plan approved by the State Council, we will work together with the three provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, working hard towards the "four efforts." This includes putting effort into building a high-standard international central business district; building a new platform for an international trade center with high-end resource allocation; improving the management of the comprehensive transportation hub; and improving the ability to serve the Yangtze River Delta and link the international community. Thank you.

CRNTT:

Shanghai is an international city. I would like to know how Shanghai will carry out CPC history education? How will Shanghai attract everyone's interest in CPC history, especially attracting young people to get interested in CPC history? Thank you.

Zhou Huilin:

Thank you for your question. Shanghai is very rich in red resources. The red culture has been integrated into the traditions of this city, constituting the bright background of its urban spirit, and nourishing everyone living in this mega city. Based on this premise and foundation, the CPC history learning and education campaign has progressed very smoothly in Shanghai. Since the campaign was introduced over two months ago, all Party members have studied hard as required, passing on the Party's original aspiration, and shouldering their mission bravely. In Shanghai, Party officials are leading the campaign, setting a good example for the other Party members. The start has been very gratifying. In addition, we require everyone to learn Party history by heart and bear it in mind. Following the instructions of the CPC Central Committee, we will carry out the campaign to help us gain experience and draw lessons, boost confidence, as well as honor virtues as we continue the quest. We require everyone to combine learning with practice, and insist on the priority of being "practical." The municipal CPC committee requires that the campaign be solid, lively and effective. Among them, there is also a very important aspect, which is to make good use of red resources, and tell the red story vividly and deeply.

Just now, you asked about how to make young people interested in the history of the CPC. It is a very good question. We attached great importance to this issue and the CPC history learning and education campaign focuses on two key groups: Party members in positions of leadership, and young people. The education on the CPC's history, especially through the utilization of sites and heritage related to the Party's history in Shanghai, has a natural appeal to young people. We all know that the CPC was founded in Shanghai. The average age of the deputies to the First CPC National Congress was 28, which means this is a young people's path. Our Party's undertaking has a strong appeal for young people. Over the past century of struggle, the CPC has always attracted, accepted, and boosted the achievements of young people, and has always maintained its youthful passion for development as a century-old party. When learning the Party's history, Shanghai's young people have participated in and created flexible and varied forms of study. Party organizations at all levels in Shanghai have actively built platforms to create better conditions for young people to become familiar with and learn about the Party's history. Our work has been undertaken in four aspects.

First, we integrated education of the Party's history with network communication. Based on the characteristics of mobile communication, we promoted co-construction and co-sharing of the Party's history resources via the cloud. Recently, an online lesson for Chinese Communist Youth League members named "An epoch-making event" attracted the participation of 48 million young people, and topic page views on Weibo surpassed 690 million in one day. The host of the lesson was a video maker on the streaming platform Bilibili. This kind of new teaching form can easily become popular among young people.

Second, we integrated education about the Party's history with college courses. We planned various themed learning activities and produced short videos for ideological and political theory courses at universities. Universities in Shanghai brought together groups of young theoretical workers and are planning to launch more relevant high-quality courses, such as the popular course "Tell the post-90s about Marx," to help young people have a comprehensive and objective understanding of the Party's history.

Third, we integrated education of the Party's history with social practice. We designed a series of visiting routes, including heritage sites related to the Party's history, and encouraged young people to learn and think while visiting, watching, and listening. Many themed activities like "Hundreds of thousand youth visit Pudong" were organized. We also designed many red tourism routes. While visiting sites with significance of revolutionary history, people can become familiar with and deeply understand the Party's history. By combining the education of the Party's history with social practice, we are able to create an upsurge in young people seeking and passing on the traditions of revolution. 

Fourth, we integrated education of the Party's history with artistic creation. Relying on the artistic resources of cultural institutions and schools, we produced a large number of artistic lessons on the Party's history via the mediums of film, drama, folk art, painting, and calligraphy, which are very popular among young people. Meanwhile, there are many effective ways for young people in Shanghai to learn about the Party's history, some of which are government-organized and others organized by individuals. I will not introduce them here one by one because of time restraints, but I hope you can visit Shanghai to find further information. Thank you.  

People's Daily:

As the birthplace of the CPC, Shanghai has a special and important position in every stage of the Party's development. This year marks the centenary of the founding of the CPC. What progress has Shanghai made in the publicity of the CPC centenary? What progress has Shanghai made in protecting, utilizing, and developing cultural resources related to the Party's history? Thank you.

Zhou Huilin:

Thanks for your questions. Shanghai enjoys many rich cultural resources related to the CPC's history. We previously took a general survey, which showed that there are 612 related cultural ruins and memorials in Shanghai. Shanghai has carried out a series of works aimed to protect these resources and to publicize the CPC centenary. We will spare no effort to build and safeguard the spiritual home of the Chinese Communists, record great achievements, and showcase the glory of the CPC centenary.

You asked about the protection and inheritance of cultural resources related to the CPC's history. We have deeply implemented a "exploration and promotion project" for the birthplace of the CPC, which features systematic deployment. A series of works covering exploration and protection, theoretical research, publicity, literary and artistic creation, education and training, and red tourism have been advanced. We have made great efforts to build three "highlands" of cultural resources related to the CPC's history in terms of resources, research and publicity, and especially advanced the construction and protection of "one memorial hall and five sites" in the city. The Memorial for the Site of the First National Congress of the CPC will be completed at the end of this month and become a landmark outlining the glorious journey and inheritance of the great spirit of the founding of the Party. The five sites, which have all been renovated, include the Preparation Office of the First National Congress of the CPC (The Former Editorial Office of the New Youth , as well as the former offices of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the CPC Central Military Commission, the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, and the CPC Central Intelligence Agency. The "Manifesto of the Communist Party" Exhibition Hall was completed and opened to the public. The Site of the Second National Congress of the CPC and the Memorial Hall for the Fourth National Congress of the CPC have been renovated to improve their exhibitions. At the same time, the Shanghai government is soliciting public opinion for a local regulation on inheritance, promotion, protection, and utilization of cultural resources related to the CPC's history, which is expected to be released before July 1.

Shanghai carried out in-depth education on the CPC's history and public activities around the theme of "always following the Party." We are making all efforts to work on the publicity of the CPC centenary to the highest standard. Here, I would like to introduce the following three aspects. 

Concerning theory, along with the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, we plan to jointly host a seminar to study, publicize and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, as well as a high-end forum of studying the Party's history and the third "Original Aspiration Forum" in May. We will organize a theoretical seminar to celebrate the centenary of the CPC. We have launched a publication project themed "Birthplace of the Party" and have published 124 of about 200 books planned for the occasion. Before July 1, we will release ten series of books about the hard work of the CPC over the past 100 years. Concerning the news, we have innovated in all-media communication, launched a major publicity project on the theme of "striving for 100 years, embarking on a new journey," opened columns such as "experience from the CPC's 100-year history," and provided special coverage on themes such as "my story of joining the Party." Together with dozens of TV stations nationwide, we have initiated a convergence of media coverage to celebrate the centenary of the CPC themed around "dream enlightens China," including live-streaming and short videos. We have also organized interviews with 100 foreigners from over 30 countries to make a media-convergence product, "Shanghai Through Our Eyes," which was launched on April 8. Every day one episode will be released. Today's episode features a man from India talking about the CPC in his eyes. 

In regard to arts and culture, we have a series of important productions. These include the movie "1921;" "The Time of Miracle," about reform and opening up; and "Nameless," about workers' movement under the leadership of the underground Party. There are also several TV series, including "Merits," "Glory and Dream," and so on, as well as various theatrical performances and books, including the opera "The Morning Clock," about Comrade Li Dazhao, while the radio drama "Longhua" and book "Thousands of Miles of Mountains and Rivers" revolve around Longhua Martyrs. Other works include the Shanghai opera "No.1 Confidential Document," "The Eternal Wave," and an acrobatics drama "The Battle in Shanghai." Some of these pieces have already been released, some dramas are currently touring, and others are still in production. I think they are all worth looking forward to. Thank you. 

Kyodo News Agency:

Shanghai, the cradle of the CPC, is now a key financial city in China. What will be the future position of Shanghai? Thank you. 

Gong Zheng:

I can answer this question in one sentence. In the future, Shanghai is to become a modern socialist international metropolis with global influence. That plan is outlined in Shanghai's 14th Five-Year Plan, which lays out three important aspects of growth. 

First, Shanghai is a city that belongs to its people. General Secretary Xi Jinping underscored that China's politics is all about the people. I mentioned in the opening remarks that our vision is to build a people's city where each and every individual has the chance to rise and shine, can participate in governance in an orderly manner, enjoy a decent life, and feel warm and welcome with a sense of belonging. That means fully implementing the principle proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, i.e. "a people's city is built by the people and for the people," to realize the good wishes of our people for the city. 

Second, Shanghai is a city robust in its functions. We should step up the four functions of Shanghai, namely, global resource allocation, science and technology innovation, leadership in high-end industries, and a hub for opening-up. We promote efforts to build Shanghai as an international economic, financial, trade, and shipping center as well as a hub for innovation in science and technology. Thus, the city's capacity and core competitiveness will be constantly improved. Shanghai will become the central node for domestic circulation and the strategic hinge of both domestic and international circulations in the building of the new development paradigm. In doing so, it will represent China and participate in international cooperation and competition. 

Third, Shanghai is a city with spirit. We will continue to advance, practice, and implement the city's spirit, which features inclusiveness and diversity, pursuit of excellence, enlightened wisdom and humility; and the city's characteristics of opening-up, innovation, and inclusivity. Thank you. 

Southern Metropolis Daily:

When inspecting Shanghai, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed that "a people's city is built by the people and for the people." What measures will Shanghai take to bring people a real sense of gain in building this people-centered city? Thank you. 

Gong Zheng: 

General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed that "a people's city is built by the people and for the people" during an inspection tour in Shanghai in 2019. Therefore, Shanghai must take the lead and set an example in building a people-centered city. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), in accordance with the demands and wishes of General Secretary Xi, we will prioritize building Shanghai into a people's city, reserve the best resources for our people, and constantly strive to fulfill the people's yearning for a better life. Our work will focus on the following three aspects. 

First, we will provide benefits for people's livelihoods. We have been concentrating our efforts to improve elderly and childcare services, renovate old residential communities, and increase the income of farmers living on the outskirts of the city. We've launched a series of projects to put people's minds at ease, and carried our practical programs to deliver real benefits to people, in a bid to develop a tightly woven security net and ensure people's livelihoods by improving equality of access and quality of public services. Last year, the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and the Shanghai municipal government launched 16 projects regarding people's livelihoods that will last three years. They are all concerned with easing the pains and difficulties troubling people in their lives through the renovation of old residential communities, comprehensive governance of parking, and adding elevators to multi-floor residential buildings. According to these 16 projects over three years, each year we will arrange a batch of practical programs, and this year we have planned 30 programs in 10 aspects. For example, the previous target was to complete the renovation of houses in high-density lanes and alleys under the second level in the central area before the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). Now the needs are urgent, and we must work to finish in advance. We have innovated methods and established a city renovation center. Under the leadership and with the full participation of the Shanghai Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission and the Shanghai Land Group, we have pooled the best resources into relevant enterprises and platforms. In the past, funds were managed by the districts but are now coordinated by the municipality. Last year, we planned to renovate 550,000 square meters of land, eventually finishing 753,000 square meters in total. There are 1.1 million square meters of land still in need of renovation, including 700,000 square meters this year and 410,000 square meters next. Meanwhile, besides these practical programs, we will arrange a series of items, including community-based care for the elderly, to meet people's urgent needs and solve their most pressing problems.

Second, we will reinforce governance. During the process, we will prioritize safety, enhance grassroots development as the foundation for other works, and make breakthroughs by promoting intelligentization. We will further modernize urban governance through subtle efforts and make intelligentization the main driving force. In Shanghai's case, this means deepening the construction of the two networks - one that integrates all administrative services and one that runs the entire city. Built from scratch, the one-stop administrative service platform has been in use for three years and has become a token of administrative services in Shanghai. As of the end of last year, the platform had 44.16 million users registered under real names and accessed a total of 3,071 services including all administrative approvals. Next, we will continue to expand our services, making efforts in process reengineering and data-driven empowerment. In addition, with support of the one-stop platform, we will proactively build Shanghai into a service-oriented city that offers the best administrative services and business environment. As for the integrated network for city operations, our goal is to put together all relevant information for integrated monitoring and run the entire city via one single network. The network's basic structure is designed to comprehend three layers of platforms and five layers of applications. Operations centers and information platforms are built at the city level, district level and sub-district or town level. These three layers of platforms are also the three layers of applications. Another two layers of applications are built at the grid and community levels. We value practicality and effectiveness and strive to ensure that this network works in reality, gains popularity among grassroots cadres and indeed benefits the public. 

Third, we will improve the environment. We will focus on green, low-carbon development, enhance the comprehensive treatment of air, water, soil and waste, and expedite the implementation of a series of projects to benefit the people with a better environment. We will make the sky bluer, the land greener and the water clearer in Shanghai. The "Yijiang Yihe" project is an example. The public spaces along the 45-kilometer banks of the Huangpu River (In Chinese: Huangpu Jiang) have been linked together and opened to the public. The public spaces along the 42-kilometer banks of the Suzhou River (In Chinese: Suzhou He) in the downtown area had basically been linked up as of the end of last year. These spaces have become two belts of colorful public life where people take leisure, do exercise, enjoy entertainment and benefit from beautiful sights. Next, we will build world-class waterfront areas along the two rivers by refining the use of the lands along the banks. In the process more industrial rust belts will be converted into spaces for better lifestyle and development. Another issue is about parks and green lands. Shanghai is a place that is densely populated yet only covers a small area of land. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we will continue to take a series of measures to implement the "Thousand Parks Plan". The city now has more than 400 parks, so the task is still heavy, but we will firmly implement the plan to build another 600 odd parks. Currently the per capita green land area is 8.5 square meters and we plan to increase it by more than one square meter. We will make sure that green land can be found a 5 to 10 minutes' walk anywhere in the city, a scenic sight can be seen after every 15 minutes' bicycle ride, and a large-scale park can be discovered after 30 minutes of driving. That's all for now, thank you. 

Market News International:

Shanghai will launch a national center for carbon trading. How will you explore new carbon financing, especially derivatives? What kind of financial risks do you think the traditional energy sector will suffer when you push for carbon neutrality? Will the government of Shanghai take measures to deal with these possible risks? How will you balance green development and economic growth? Thank you.

Chen Yin:

Thank you for the question. General Secretary Xi Jinping always stresses that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. We should focus on the new development stage, implement the new development philosophy and establish the new development paradigm, and this requires us to insist on green development. Shanghai has been actively making adjustments, quickly advancing transformations and vigorously promoting development. Since the 1990s, Shanghai has started its urban industrial restructuring. Over the past two decades, the city has transformed from a traditional industrial city into a city with its service sector taking up more than 70% of the whole industrial structure. The city has also been upgrading its industrial structure, by proactively building strategic emerging industries. It has also quickly advanced the shift towards low-carbon energies, enabling a lower-carbon and more environmental-friendly energy consumption structure. The city has also been vigorously promoting the construction of a green, low-carbon system of technological innovation, thus to propel original technologies to upgrade and to realize high-quality development through green development. 

Shanghai has attached great importance to the development of green financing and has made many efforts to explore the carbon financing sector. We carried out many innovations and achieved some important results. We also successfully launched a group of never-seen-before products, including the first green, exchangeable corporate bond, the first green four-certificate special bond, and the first carbon-neutral, green bond. A group of important organizations are located in Shanghai as well, including a national carbon emission trading center and the National Green Development Fund. 

Next, we will make carbon financing an important part of our efforts to build Shanghai into an international financial center, and rely on the national carbon trading center to create an international carbon financing center. Under the guidance of relevant departments of the central government, we will make efforts in three aspects. First, we will make efforts in carbon financing business innovation, explore both spot and forward products in carbon financing, and offer support for financial innovation in terms of carbon funds, carbon bonds, carbon insurance, and carbon trusts. Second, we will make efforts to design investment and financing mechanisms for peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, and steer financial resources towards green development. Third, we will make efforts to better prevent financial risks, closely follow new developments and new problems emerged on the way to realizing carbon neutrality, and try to establish a financial risk management mechanism that can work well with the efforts for reaching carbon neutrality, so as to better serve enterprises' transition to green development. 

In short, Shanghai has been leading the country in terms of peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality. General Secretary Xi Jinping has announced that China will reach peak carbon emissions by 2030, and strive to realize carbon neutrality by 2060. Shanghai's 2035 plan, which has been approved by the central government, clearly states that the city will try to peak its carbon emissions by 2025. We are currently writing an action plan for realizing this goal, and it will be published within the year. We will organically link the improvement of ecological environment and the construction of the international financial center together. Thank you.

Phoenix TV:

Urban development would involve future development opportunities and plans. General Secretary Xi Jinping underlined during an inspection tour in Shanghai that the city must strive to improve its urban functions and increase its core competitiveness. Shanghai's 14th Five-Year Plan puts special emphasis on strengthening the construction of five new towns, including Jiading, Huangpu, and Songjiang, to create opportunities and poles of growth for Shanghai's future development. What plans will Shanghai put in place to create its own strategic poles of growth through the construction of these new towns? Thank you.

Chen Yin:

After years of construction, Shanghai has become a metropolitan city with a permanent population of nearly 25 million. We also see that most of the people live in downtown, where the population density reaches 20,000 people per square kilometer, much denser than that of the 13,000 people per square kilometer in Tokyo and New York. That's why we need to make the urban layout more practical and promote the continuous optimization of urban construction in the future. In the 14th Five-Year Plan, the municipal CPC committee and government of Shanghai have proposed to build five new towns, including Jiading, Qingpu, Fengxian, Songjiang, and Nanhui. These will act as key regions in the city's future construction, break the bottleneck of land resources, support the upgrade of urban functions, and create strategic spaces and important poles of growth for future development. Construction of the five new towns aims to build them into independent and comprehensive connecting towns, which is a completely different concept from that of pendulum satellite towns. They cannot be simply regarded as sub-centers of the city. They must be part of a world-class town cluster in the Yangtze River Delta. Therefore, we must enhance the complementary functionality and interactivity between the new towns and downtown Shanghai, between the five new towns, as well as between the new towns and the 40 preexisting cities in the Yangtze River Delta.

We have proposed building the five new towns into a future city, with a high-quality life and as an important pole of growth for Shanghai's economic development. As such, it will become an area for urban construction innovation, a demonstration area for urban digital transformation, and a strategic support point serving the Yangtze River Delta. We will focus on six tasks during the process.

First, by integrating industries and new towns. We will coordinate so that the new towns work alongside their surrounding industrial bases during the construction, promote functionally qualified industrial projects to move to the new towns, and encourage the new towns to develop high-end industrial clusters.

Second, by being well-functioned. We will speed up efforts to improve basic public services such as medical care, education, culture, and the ecological environment, and focus on developing distinctive functions. The CPC Shanghai municipal committee and the government of Shanghai have planned some demonstrative schools, grade-3 medical institutes, and public culture construction and operation in all five new towns so that residents can have access to better public services.

Third, by keeping a jobs-housing balance. The needs of those living in the new area must be fully considered in the urban spatial layout of the new towns' planning, with residential land meeting the needs of the population size. Commercial housing and leased housings will co-exist on the residential land.

Fourth, by being ecologically viable. We will create a green, low-carbon, and beautiful ecological environment, and strive to increase vegetation coverage and improve the water and air quality in the new towns. To some extent, the ecological environment in the new towns will be more advantageous and attractive than that of downtown Shanghai.

Fifth, by having convenient transportation. We will focus on building a public transportation hub in each new town to connect the outside and improve the construction of comprehensive transportation systems inside the new towns.

Sixth, by keeping efficient governance. We should not only build the new towns well but also manage and operate them properly. We have proposed transforming the citizens' happiness list into a list of governance responsibilities. We will give priority to major livelihood projects that will benefit a wide range of people and provide them with a strong sense of gain as well as continue to improve urban governance on a digital level and focus on strengthening the systematic resilience of the towns against risks. Thank you.

The Paper:

The fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC central committee has put forward the concept of digital development. Shanghai released related guidelines for this at the end of last year. What are Shanghai's advantages and challenges in its progress toward digital transformation? What major policies will be adopted next? Thank you.

Gong Zheng:

The digital transformation of the city is a major strategy in Shanghai's future development. It requires overall transformation, all-round empowerment, and revolutionary remodeling.

Shanghai's advantages in this regard are mainly shown in the following five aspects:

First, Shanghai has the most advanced information infrastructure in China. The city has become the first city in the country to have access to 5G and dual gigabit fixed broadband. We won China's first world smart city award last year.

Second, Shanghai has a huge amount of valuable data. With a permanent population of nearly 25 million and an actual population exceeding 30 million, Shanghai, as the biggest city by GDP in China, has abundant and high-quality data stores.

Third, Shanghai has rich application scenarios, including across communities, enterprises, hospitals, schools, transport, scenic spots, buildings, stadiums, and subways. Shanghai's metro network has reached more than 770 kilometers, the longest in the world. 61 more kilometers will be added this year, bringing the total length to more than 800 kilometers next year. More than 10 million people take the subway every day. The city also has the largest number of tall buildings in the world, with a variety of application scenarios. It has the largest number of elevators, numbering 260,000. All of these application scenarios are available and important for digital transformation.

Fourth, we have a solid foundation in science, technology, and industry. We have a great number of large scientific facilities—the most in the country—as well as high-level scientific research institutions, which renders us important in the fields of integrated circuits, AI, brain-intelligence projects, and biomedicine.

Fifth, we have a well-structured talent pool. Personnel is key to digital transformation. In terms of the number of professionals, Shanghai now accounts for more than 50% of the country's total in 5G research and development, 40% in integrated circuit and chip industries, one-third in AI, and over 20% in innovative drug development. These five strengths and foundations are relatively solid.

As for the challenges you asked, we are now mainly facing two problems. First, we still have some obvious weaknesses. At present, digital transformation focuses more on project construction rather than on systematic business coordination. Different lines of business have their own systems to promote the application of information technology, leading to information silos, as data is still relatively separate and isolated. Various lines and levels of business lack collaboration and coordination and there is still a long way to go for joint development and sharing of data and information. In addition, problems also exist regarding data security and the digital divide. There are many difficulties in bridging the digital gap, especially for the elderly. Second, external competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Currently, major developed countries and international metropolises in the world are working energetically toward digital transformation. We will fall behind if no progress is made or if progress is not made fast enough. Therefore, to build an international digital capital with global influence, we must strive to seize an advantageous position and take the initiative.

Next, we will focus on digital transformation and carry out large-scale investigations and research to establish and improve the policy system of "1+3+X" as soon as possible. You mentioned just now that we issued the Opinions on Comprehensively Promoting the Urban Digital Transformation of Shanghai at the end of last year. This document constitutes the "1" which indicates the overall goal of developing Shanghai into an international digital capital with global influence. "3" refers to the digitization of the economy, people's lives, and governance, and the introduction of three three-year action plans for them, respectively.

Regarding the digitization of the economy, we will focus on promoting high-quality economic development and strive to digitize various industries. Traditional industries should achieve transformation, upgrading, and structural adjustment through digitization. Data should be industrialized and enhanced to foster new technologies, new industries, and new forms and models of business.

As for the digitization of people's lives, we will mainly concentrate on meeting the urgent needs of our citizens and improving the quality of their lives, creating a new picture of digital life that is ubiquitous and of high quality with universal benefits. At the same time, we will step up efforts to improve the level of barrier-free intelligent technology services. For example, many senior citizens don't know how to find their health code or even use a smartphone. In the future, it will be that they can show their data simply by scanning their ID cards without the need for smartphones. ID card scanning, and even facial recognition, will be enough for the elderly to go to the places where the health code is needed. We need to bridge the digital divide so that the elderly won't be digitally marginalized.

The focus of governance digitization is to provide government services via a single platform and integrate the city's operations into a single network. The quality and efficiency of the platform and network should continue to be improved.

"X," meanwhile, refers to formulating action plans for the digital transformation of several industries. We will work to complete the overall policy system starting this year. In this process, we will study and introduce targeted policies to address the frequent, urgent, and acute problems as well as some long-term and institutional bottlenecks in various sectors and industries. That's all for my answer.

Finally, the three of us would like to thank the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee for providing us with such a good platform to brief you on various aspects of Shanghai's economic and social development and our celebrations of the centenary of the CPC's founding. Once again, we'd like to thank friends from the media for your care for, support in, and coverage of Shanghai.

You may still have a lot of questions today, but time is limited. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out that Shanghai is an important window through which the world can observe China. He also says that Shanghai is a window showcasing China's development over the past 100 years. I'd like to take this opportunity to invite you to visit Shanghai more often; to get a deep understanding of Shanghai's practices in reform, opening-up, and innovation; to experience its prosperity on both banks of the Huangpu River; and to appreciate the rich fruits of a "Better City, Better Life." Welcome to Shanghai. Thank you.

Chen Wenjun:

Thank you all, both speakers and friends from the media. This is the end of today's press conference. Goodbye!

Translated and edited by Zhang Rui, Chen Xia, Liu Jianing, Zhang Liying, Liu Sitong, Fan Junmei, Duan Yaying, Liu Qiang, Xu Xiaoxuan, Li Huiru, Wang Qian, Wang Yiming, Wang Wei, Guo Yiming, Yuan Fang, Zhang Tingting, Lin Liyao, Zhang Junmian, David Ball, Jay Birbeck, and Tom Arnstein. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.