Adhere to promoting large-scale development with great opening-up on implementing the spirit of the symposium on promoting the development of the western region in the new era, Part 3 of the series Xi Jinping | Land and Sea | Review

Beijing, May 13, Title: Adhere to promoting large-scale development through great opening-up - Implementing the spirit of the symposium on promoting the development of the western region in the new era, the third in a series of reviews

New corridors are accelerating, border ports are taking on a new look, and regional coordination and integration are accelerating... In recent years, provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in the west have accelerated the construction of a new development and opening pattern of land and sea internal and external linkage and east-west mutual assistance, adding new vitality to the development of the western region.

On April 23, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a symposium on promoting the development of the western region in the new era in Chongqing and delivered an important speech, emphasizing that “we must persist in promoting large-scale development with great opening up and improve the level of opening up of the western region to the outside world.”

To thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech, the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the western region rely on their respective advantages and give full play to the role of a series of open development policy platforms, work together and move forward courageously, and jointly create a new chapter for the high-quality development of the western region.

New channels create new advantages: from the "end" of openness to the "frontier" of openness

At this symposium, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "vigorously promote the construction of the New Land-Sea Corridor in the West, promote the development and opening up of areas along the route, and deeply integrate into the joint construction of the 'Belt and Road'".

Use "road" as a medium to reach all directions. The New Western Land-Sea Corridor connects the Silk Road Economic Belt to the north, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to the south, and the Yangtze River Economic Belt to the east. It is like a golden thread, opening up a development and opening road to the river and the sea for the areas along the route.

Staff at the Qiyuan Spring Wolfberry Planting Farmers' Professional Cooperative in Zhongwei City, Xingren Town, Shapotou District, Zhongwei City, Ningxia, prepare to dry fresh wolfberry. Photo by reporter Wang Peng

Specialty products such as Ningxia wolfberry, Chongqing blood orange, and Yunnan tea are sold overseas; "Made in Guangxi" products such as excavators and pure electric loaders have entered the European market; "chain master" companies such as BYD have settled in Guangxi and are facing ASEAN... Various types of products at home and abroad With the convergence of resources and products, the "One Belt, One Road" principle of extensive consultation, joint construction and shared benefits has been richly and vividly reflected along the New Western Land-Sea Corridor. In 2023, the total import and export volume of the western region will reach 3.7 trillion yuan, an increase of 37% compared with 2019.

Zhai Kun, a professor at the School of International Relations at Peking University, believes that the New Western Land-Sea Corridor will push the western region to an open highland and drive the rapid economic development of the western region. This not only reflects the strong resilience, great potential and vitality of our country’s economy, but is also a powerful testimony to the vitality of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative.

When the roads are open, all businesses will prosper. The "14th Five-Year Plan" Implementation Plan for Promoting the High-Quality Construction of the New Land-Sea Corridor in the West proposes that by 2025, the three east, middle and west corridors will be continuously strengthened, the operation of corridors, ports and logistics hubs will be more efficient, and the role of promoting economic and industrial development along the route will be significantly enhanced. overall goal.

Driven by the high-level joint construction of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, the western provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities are deeply integrated into the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" and by strengthening connectivity and economic cooperation with neighboring countries, the deeply inland western region has become the frontier and frontier of opening up to the outside world. Radiating Center.

Taking the free trade pilot zone as the starting point: Steady expansion of institutional opening-up

In November 2023, the Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone was unveiled. Its overall plan includes 25 items and 129 reform pilot tasks in 8 aspects. Since its inauguration, the institutional innovation of the Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone has attracted a large number of enterprises to develop in Xinjiang. As of the end of February 2024, more than 3,000 new companies have been established in the pilot free trade zone.

The plaque of the Kashgar area of ​​China Free Trade Pilot Zone taken on November 11, 2023. Photo by reporter Ding Lei

The Shaanxi Pilot Free Trade Zone launched a new model for merging railway manifests, the Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Zone pioneered the "International Letter of Credit for Railway Bills of Lading" to provide companies with convenience in picking up goods, and the Guangxi Pilot Free Trade Zone launched a "full life cycle" management service reform for container cross-border logistics... …Through the construction of free trade pilot zones, institutional opening up has been steadily promoted, and opening innovation results have emerged one after another in western my country.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the symposium that “improve the layout of various industrial parks, border economic cooperation zones, and cross-border economic cooperation zones in border areas, and promote the high-quality development of pilot free trade zones.” “Steadyly expand institutional opening up and create market-oriented Legalized international business environment.”

"In building a high-level free trade pilot zone, institutional innovation is the core, and the transformation of government functions is the key." Wu Juan, associate professor at the Party School of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Party of China, believes that the western region must actively explore aspects such as transformation of government functions and innovation in management models to create a market Improve the rule of law and internationalize the business environment and promote high-quality development in the western region.

This is the first station of PetroChina Tarim Oilfield Company’s West-East Gas Pipeline taken on August 20, 2023. Photo by reporter Wang Peng

By extending the dividends of opening up as a driving force for development, the western provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities will deeply integrate various advantageous resources, continuously improve the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and develop a higher-level open economy. On the road to high-quality development, there is much potential and great achievements.

Linkage between the east, middle and west regions: jointly building a unified national market

On April 29, the Jialing River Lize Shipping Hub Project, a key project in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, was officially opened to navigation, and the first unit was put into operation. This marks that the first shipping hub jointly built by Sichuan and Chongqing in the upper Yangtze River shipping center is put into operation. The two provinces and cities of Sichuan and Chongqing have taken major projects as the starting point to comprehensively strengthen the coordination of relevant supporting policies, promote the efficient connection of regional resources and close industrial interaction, and have made a vivid footnote to the coordinated regional development of our country.

Villagers in Yuejin Village, Qitang Town, Bishan District, Chongqing City, are transporting freshly picked blood oranges. Photo by reporter Wang Quanchao

At a new historical starting point, the development of the western region faces new historical opportunities. Focus on the big picture, place the development of the western region in the overall situation of Chinese-style modernization, and coordinate and promote it; start from the details, implement measures according to local conditions, implement classified policies, and create a regional economic layout and land space system with complementary advantages and high-quality development.

As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at this symposium: "More proactively serve the docking of major regional strategies, actively integrate into the construction of a national unified market, innovate the docking mechanism of open platforms in the east, central and west, and deepen pragmatic cooperation with the east, central and northeast regions. "

In the Qinzhou Port area of ​​the China Free Trade Pilot Zone, employees of a new energy battery materials company monitor the operations of an automated workshop. Photo by reporter Zhang Ailin

Zhang Jiashou, executive vice president of the “One Belt, One Road” Research Institute of the Party School of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Party of China, believes that the western region should strengthen the in-depth integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, deepen scientific and technological innovation cooperation in the east, central and western regions, develop new productive forces according to local conditions, and effectively combine regional advantages, Resource advantages are transformed into development advantages, improving the overall strength and sustainable development capabilities of the region.

Today, Guangxi promotes the active integration of industries into major strategies such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Economic Belt; the interactive development of urban agglomerations such as the Beibu Gulf, Hohhot, Bao'e, and Ningxia along the Yellow River; the West-to-East Gas Transmission, West-to-East Electricity Transmission, and "Eastern Data The "Western Calculation" is accelerating... A national unified market system in which the eastern, central and western regions complement each other's advantages and develop mutually beneficial development is accelerating.

At the Qinzhou Port terminal in Guangxi, many sea vessels are queuing up to unload. Photo by reporter Zhang Ailin

Facing the future, on the journey to realize Chinese-style modernization, on the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, and promoting large-scale development with great opening-up, the development prospects of the western region are broad and the future is promising.