General Secretary Xi Jinping recently chaired a symposium on promoting the rise of the central region in the new era in Changsha, Hunan, emphasizing that the central region “has a pivotal position in the country” and requiring the central region to “consistently implement a series of policies of the Party Central Committee to promote the rise of the central region. The implementation of the measures will form a joint force to promote high-quality development and strive to write a new chapter in the rise of the central region in the Chinese-style modernization drive.” General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech pointed out the way forward and provided fundamental guidelines for solidly promoting the rise of the central region from a higher starting point.
Consistently and solidly promote the rise of the central region
Promoting the rise of the central region is a major strategic decision made by the Party Central Committee based on the overall situation of my country’s modernization drive. The Central Economic Work Conference in 2004 clearly proposed “promoting the rise of the central region” and regarded it as an important measure to promote coordinated regional economic development. In April 2006, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the “Several Opinions on Promoting the Rise of the Central Region”, proposing to enable the central region to rise by leveraging its advantages in connecting the east and west and in industrial development. In 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a symposium on promoting the rise of the central region in Nanchang, Jiangxi, and put forward 8 opinions on how to do a good job in the rise of the central region. In April 2021, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued an extremely angry statement. The “Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Development in the Central Region in the New Era” clearly proposes to promote the accelerated rise of the central region, further enhance its comprehensive strength, endogenous power and competitiveness by 2025, and basically establish a modern economic system by 2035, and basically realize socialism modernization.
Since the implementation of the strategy to promote the rise of the central region, the economy of the central region has continued to grow rapidly, industrialization and urbanization have advanced rapidly, industrial transformation and upgrading have continued to accelerate, the income of urban and rural residents has steadily increased, and the national grain production base, energy raw material base, modern equipment manufacturing and The status of high-tech industrial base and comprehensive transportation hub has been further consolidated, playing an important supporting role in the national economic development. From 2006 to 2023, the average annual real GDP growth rate of the central region was 9.1%, which was 0.5 percentage points higher than the national average growth rate and 0.8 percentage points higher than the average growth rate of the eastern region. But her true feelings still made her a little uncomfortable. The proportion of the regional GDP in the country will increase from 19.4% in 2006 to 21.6% in 2023.
Since the 2019 symposium on promoting the rise of the central region, the central region has overcome the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, frequent extreme weather, global economic downturn and many other unfavorable factors. The economy has achieved steady growth, the momentum for innovation and development has continued to increase, and the industrial foundation has been strengthened. Significant improvements have been made, the pace of green and low-carbon transformation has accelerated, and residents’ living standards have continued to improve. From 2018 to 2023, the GDP of the central region increased from 20.1 trillion yuan to 27.0 trillion yuan, with an average annual real growth rate of 5.1%, slightly higher than the national average growth rate. During this period, the economic growth rates of Jiangxi, Shanxi, Anhui, and Hunan all exceeded 5.5%, while Henan and Hubei, Hunan’s GDP has reached a level of 5 trillion yuan. At present, the central region has stood at a higher starting point for development and has cultivated and formed 8 national advanced manufacturing clusters. The first five batches of specialized and new “little giant” enterprises account for 21% of the country’s total. The provinces in central China have given full play to their respective advantages and are actively cultivating and developing a number of competitive advanced manufacturing and future industries.
At the same time, it should be noted that promoting the rise of the central region still faces many difficulties and challenges. It is necessary to consistently implement various policies that have been introduced, continuously increase reform, innovation and support, and study and propose a new era to promote the rise of the central region. The policy measures will bring together the resources and strength of all parties to form a strong synergy, allowing the central region to play a greater role in China’s modernization drive.
Better integrate into and support the new development pattern
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “It is necessary to strengthen the connection with other major development strategies and better integrate and support the new development pattern.” The central region has the geographical advantage of connecting the east to the west and connecting the south to the north, and the region is rich in resource elements. , with huge market potential and profound cultural heritage. Especially in terms of smoothing the domestic circulation, the central region is geographically located. It is not only close to the gathering place of resource elements, but also in the center of the domestic market. It plays a very important role in optimizing the industrial layout and supporting the new development pattern. It is necessary and conditional. Better integrate into and support the new development pattern.
Strengthen the connection with other major development strategies. Major regional development strategies are development strategies formulated for important regions of overall significance. To promote the rise of the central region, we must not only strengthen the in-depth docking with the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, and the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, but also strengthen the integration with the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin Linkage, effectively enhance the synergy, coupling, and consistency of various strategies, and give full play to their superposition, synergy, and integration effects. At the same time, we must realize that due to different geographical locations and degrees of connection, the focus of in-depth docking among various regions in central China is different. Some will focus on in-depth docking with Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and some will focus on docking with the Yangtze River Delta or the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; strengthen integration and linkage It is multi-layered. It must not only do a good job in organic connection and coordinated advancement with the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, and the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, but also fully integrate into and support the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Yellow River Basin. ? Come, let’s listen.” Master Lan asked with some interest. Ecological protection and high-quality development promote the coordinated development of upstream, midstream and downstream industries.
Give full play to the role of the central region in connecting the east and connecting the west. In promoting coordinated regional development, promoting the rise of the central region serves as a link and bridge between accelerating modernization in the eastern region and forming a new pattern in the development of the western region. On the one hand, we must make full use of the location, resource, market, and cultural advantages of the central region, actively introduce innovative resources and industrial capital such as science and technology, talents, and brands from the eastern region, undertake the gradient transfer of industries in an orderly manner, optimize industrial layout, and strengthen industrial support for the rise of the central region; on the other hand, it is necessary toGive full play to the advantages of the central region as a large channel, strengthen the connection with the western development, continuously enhance the radiating and driving role in the western region, and promote the coordinated and rapid development of the central and western regions.
Create a more competitive inland open highland. The central region is a hub area that effectively connects the domestic cycle and the international economic cycle, and plays an irreplaceable role in building a new development pattern. All regions in central China should give full play to their respective advantages, rely on transportation trunk lines and modern transportation network systems, deeply integrate into the joint construction of the “Belt and Road”, actively connect with the New Eurasian Continental Bridge and the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, build high-standard free trade pilot zones, and create more high-level A platform for cooperation in opening up to the outside world, taking multiple measures to continue to create a new highland for inland opening up, and playing a greater role in connecting domestic and international dual circulation.
Better support and serve the construction of the national strategic hinterland. The central region is an important area for optimizing the layout of major productive forces and strengthening the construction of the national strategic hinterland. It is necessary to vigorously promote the development of urban agglomerations in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Central Plains urban agglomeration, promote the construction of metropolitan areas, provincial sub-centers and central cities, rely on towns and industrial parks to build a number of advanced manufacturing bases, and strengthen the relationship between urban agglomerations, metropolitan areas and central cities. coordinate and linkage, give full play to its radiating and leading role, and promote urban-rural integration, regional coordination and coordinated development of large, medium and small cities. It is necessary to establish a multi-field and multi-level inter-regional cooperation mechanism, accelerate regional integration and urbanization, enhance the synergy and integrity of the development of the central region, and enhance the level of coordinated regional development.
Writing a new chapter in Chinese-style modernization
In the new era and new journey, the central region has huge development potential and space, and is an important region that supports the healthy and sustainable development of my country’s economy. Solidly promoting the rise of the central region from a higher starting point will provide strong support for Chinese-style modernization and is of great significance to comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization.
Improve the ability to ensure the security of food and energy resources. The central region is an important grain production base in my country, and Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Anhui are all the country’s main grain producing areas. In 2022, the central region’s grain production will account for 30% of the country’s total, of which rice and wheat production will account for more than 40% of the country’s total. The central region is rich in energy and mineral resources and is an important energy raw material base in my country. To promote the rise of the central region, we must adhere to high-quality development and high-level safe and positive interactions, promote the construction of functional areas for grain production, important agricultural product production protection zones and advantageous areas for characteristic agricultural products with high quality, and create a number of green agricultural product production and processing supply bases; strengthen coal, Comprehensive development and utilization of rare earth and other resources will accelerate the construction of new energy systems. It is necessary to ensure the stable and safe supply of important agricultural products such as grain and energy, and further consolidate the status of grain production base and energy raw material base.
Promote industrial transformation and upgrading by developing new productive forces. The central region has strong scientific and technological and educational capabilities, a good foundation for industry, especially manufacturing, and is in the middle and late stages of industrialization. It is promoting new industrialization.Has great potential. To promote the rise of the central region, we need to pay more attention to the in-depth integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, lead industrial innovation with technological innovation, and actively cultivate and develop new productive forces. It is necessary to accelerate the development of new productive forces as the guide, transform and upgrade traditional industries, cultivate and strengthen emerging industries, plan and build future industries in advance, expand and strengthen advanced manufacturing, accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system supported by advanced manufacturing, and continuously consolidate and improve Modern equipment manufacturing and high-tech industrial base status.
Build a beautiful central area where man and nature coexist harmoniously. There are many rivers and lakes in the central region, the water ecological environment is sensitive, and the management pressure is high. We must firmly establish the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are valuable assets, strengthen ecological and environmental system management, comprehensive management, and coordinated management of large rivers and important lakes, work together to build ecological security barriers, strengthen resource conservation and intensive recycling, and accelerate the transformation of production and lifestyle, Collaboratively promote ecological environment protection and green and low-carbon development. At the same time, we will improve the compensation mechanism for horizontal ecological protection in the river basin, establish a diversified value realization mechanism for ecological products, continuously expand the path for transforming green waters and green mountains into mountains of gold and silver, and accelerate the advancement of industrial ecology and ecological industrialization.
Vigorously promote urban-rural integration and coordinated regional development. Urban-rural integration and coordinated regional development are intrinsic requirements for high-quality development, and are also necessary to promote Chinese-style modernization. At present, the development of the central region is uneven. If you learn from him for a few years, you may grow up in the future. After that, I can take the martial arts exam. It’s a pity that the mother and son only lived in that alley for more than a year before leaving, but he continued to practice boxing all the way, and he never stopped for a day in these years. The problem of insufficient balance remains prominent. To promote the rise of the central region, we must take counties as the basic geographical unit, coordinate new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization, unblock channels for the flow of urban and rural population, capital and technology, promote the balanced allocation of public resources and the free flow of production factors between urban and rural areas, and promote urban infrastructure and public services are extended to rural areas to promote the integrated development and common prosperity of urban and rural areas. We will further comprehensively deepen reforms, fully activate rural resources, factors and markets, and stimulate endogenous driving forces for rural development. Vigorously develop the county economy, increase support for old revolutionary areas and underdeveloped areas, and promote coordinated development between urban areas and counties and between counties. (Wei Houkai)