Shimao Haixia Mansion in Xiamen, Fujian province [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A coastal province in the southeastern part of the country, Fujian has seen rapid development in the past five years.

Fujian's GDP registered 3.2298 trillion yuan ($510.8 billion) in 2017, up 8.1 percent year-on-year, faster than the national rate of 6.9 percent.

The increase in Fujian's GDP since 2016 ranks it among the top 10 provinces and regions in the country for the first time.

It is also actively promoting an open economy of higher standards amid the country’s ongoing further reform and opening-up.

Statistics show that Fujian's imports and exports rose to 1.159 trillion yuan ($183.96 billion) in value in 2017, up 12 percent year-on-year, becoming a pillar driving force for its economic growth.

And the actual use of foreign direct investment in the province reached over 57 billion yuan in 2017, a year-on-year growth of 8.2 percent.

Not only a magnet for foreign capital, Fujian is stepping up its overseas investment, as it endeavors to have further involvement in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.

First proposed in 2013, the Initiative is a national key project that aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes.

As an important node on the 21st Maritime Silk Road, the province's investment in the countries along the Road in 2017 amounted to $ 2.29 billion, with more expected.

Meanwhile, Fujian also enjoys an increasingly close economic relationship with Taiwan. The trade value between the two parties maintained a high speed annual growth of 18.3 percent to hit 77.46 billion yuan in 2017.

Looking ahead, Fujian plans to further deepen the reform and opening up as a national-level FTZ and strengthen economic, cultural and people-to-people communications with the countries and regions under the umbrella of the Belt and Road Initiative.

It will also continue to push ahead with cooperation and exchanges with Taiwan in the fields of finance, trade and culture, and support more Taiwan youth to further their education, seek employment or start businesses in the region.