TAIYUAN, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Provinces in central China are on the path of strong economic recovery through industrial transformation and further opening up while adopting effective COVID-19 prevention and control measures.
Central China, including the six provinces of Shanxi, Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi, is one of the fastest growing regions in the country.
At the ongoing 12th Central China Investment and Trade Exposition (Expo Central China 2021) in Shanxi Province, investors are seeing greater opportunities.
The expo, scheduled from May 21 to 23, includes 71 exhibitions, forums and project matchmaking activities.
"It will help the central region play an important role in establishing a new development paradigm," said Wang Shouwen, China's vice minister of commerce at a press conference.
CENTRAL REGION'S ADVANTAGES
The central provinces have registered sustained economic growth in the past few years. From 2016 to 2019, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the six central provinces increased from 16.1 trillion yuan (about 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars) to 21.9 trillion yuan, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
The regional permanent resident population, at 370 million, accounts for more than a quarter of China's total. The region has abundant labor resources and a broad consumer market, said Wang.
The transportation network of the central region is developed with numerous land ports and airports, along with railway, aviation and water transportation, Wang noted.
"It has excellent geographical advantages in import and export, which is conducive to foreign enterprises to meet the needs of the international market," he said.
A key transport hub, Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, is located at the intersection of the national railway network. To enhance its connection with European countries, the city has built an inland port to handle the China-Europe freight trains.
The number of freight train trips via the port jumped from 13 in 2013 to 1,126 in 2020, with the cargo value soaring from 50 million U.S. dollars in 2013 to 4.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, statistics show.
"The central region has witnessed continuous economic development, enhanced vitality, improved infrastructure and more convenient transportation and made all-around progress," Wang said.
BOOSTING HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT
The region boasts capacity in some of the most sophisticated manufacturing industries.
Thin as a cicada wing, the wide ultra-thin precision stainless steel strip, or "hand-tearable steel," is a product of China Baowu Taigang Stainless Steel Precision Strip Co., Ltd in Shanxi.
The steel is mainly used in making flexible display screens, solar photovoltaic substrates, automobile airbags and high-end coating materials, said General Manager Wang Tianxiang.
These products make foldable screens and mobile phones lighter and more durable, he said.
Tapping geographical and resource advantages, central China has expanded production using new technologies and new business models.
Located in Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province, a 1,130-hectare intelligent electric vehicle industrial park is under construction. As planned, the park will be able to produce 1 million smart electric vehicles and 100 GWh of batteries a year, with an estimated annual output of 500 billion yuan.
After nearly 20 years of development, Hefei has become a key city in auto manufacturing and established a full industrial chain of intelligent electric vehicles.
Meanwhile, high-tech bases like Wuhan East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, and a batch of advanced manufacturing enterprises including Sany Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., and Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd. in Hunan are results of industrial upgrading in the central region.
The aim is to resort to innovation as the primary driving force for development and stick to the path of green and low-carbon development, Wang said.
CONTINUOUS OPENING-UP
From 2006 to 2020, the import and export volume of the six central provinces had increased from 53.6 billion to 387.3 billion U.S. dollars. In real terms, the annual foreign investment attracted to the region increased from 3.42 billion to 7.94 billion dollars, according to Wang.
Earlier this year, the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a meeting to review a guideline on promoting high-quality development of the country's central region in the new era.
The guideline called for a new system of high-level opening-up in the inland region of China.
Amid booming trade with Belt and Road countries, more enterprises in the central region are going abroad to accelerate integration into the Belt and Road Initiative.
3D printing software and products made by Weistek (Shi Yan) Additive Manufacturing Technology Co., Ltd have been used by educational institutions around the globe.
In Hunan, pilot free trade zones are exploring policies to facilitate imports and cross-border e-commerce.
JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd., a leading solar module manufacturer in Jiangxi, set up a production base and research and development center in Malaysia, and over 80 percent of its 6,000 employees are locals.
"We are not only creating a large number of job opportunities but also bringing advanced technologies and research and development concepts to these areas," said Qian Jing, vice president of the company.
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