Central region seen 'fostering high-quality development'

China's recent decision to promote high-quality development of its central region－Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei and Hunan provinces－will also bring about more balanced development and improve the overall strength and competitiveness of the region, officials said on Monday.

Cong Liang, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, the nation's top economic regulator, said the central region will play a key role in supporting the domestic economic growth.

"With a solid economic foundation, strong development momentum and huge development potential, the central region is fully capable of undertaking the key tasks of fostering high-quality development," Cong told a news conference in Beijing.

To promote high-quality development of the central region, Cong said the country will make a big push to promote the coordinated development across urban, rural areas and regions.

More efforts will be made to integrate the central region into the major regional strategies, promote the integrated development of urban and rural areas, improve the quality of cities, accelerate agricultural and rural modernization, and promote interprovincial cooperation in the region.

Cong's remarks followed the announcement of a guideline, released in July by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, China's Cabinet, to promote high-quality growth in the central region.

By 2025, breakthroughs will be made in improving the quality, efficiency and driving forces of the central region's development. By 2035, a modern economic system will essentially be established in the central region.

Under the new guideline, Anhui will continue to leverage its advantages on technological innovation, making greater contribution to the high-quality development of the central region, said Deng Xiangyang, executive vice-governor of Anhui.

Deng said the province will build more innovation platforms, accelerate the push for boosting the development of leading core technologies like quantum information and advanced energy storage, and promote the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial development.

Zhou Ji, executive vice-governor of Henan, said the province will promote the transformation and upgrade of manufacturing, food processing, textiles, chemicals, automobiles and other traditional industries, and boost the development of strategic emerging sectors like smart terminals, new materials and new energy. More efforts will also be made to cultivate the next-generation technologies like quantum communications and genetic technology.

Official data showed the central region covers 10.7 percent of the country's total land area, and its share of overall national GDP reached 22 percent in 2020. And the region's population accounts for around 25.8 percent of the national total.