Promoting the Governance and Revitalization of Sichuan to a New Level - Observation of High Quality Development in Sichuan | Sichuan | Shuxing

On the territory of the Republic, Sichuan is not only a leading economy in the western region, but also a key province for central financial transfer payments; There are both the Chengdu Plain, known as the "Land of Abundance," and remote mountainous areas that have just been lifted out of poverty; There are both industries with complete categories and agriculture with abundant resources; It is not only the depth of China's strategy, but also the forefront of inland opening up

"Promoting the governance of Sichuan and rejuvenating Sichuan to a new level"-In June 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Sichuan for the third time since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and drew a new blueprint for high-quality development in Sichuan on the new journey.

Opportunities and challenges coexist, difficulties and hopes coexist.

On the New Starting Point of Promoting the Governance and Revitalization of Central China - "Firmly Grasping the First Priority of Development"

On the morning of May 29th, China Eastern Airlines Flight MU9197, operated by the domestically produced large aircraft C919, arrived at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport with 135 passengers and began the normal commercial operation of the Shanghai Chengdu route.

The first regular operation route of C919 has been established in Chengdu, which indirectly confirms the important geographical advantage of Sichuan as a transportation hub in Southwest China. The fate between C919 and Sichuan goes beyond this:

Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has developed aircraft heads, while China Electronics Technology Corporation (CETC) provides avionics information and other systems. China Erzhong Wanhang Forging Co., Ltd., located in Deyang, provides main landing gear forgings. One by one, "Made in Sichuan" has escorted the takeoff of domestically produced large aircraft, becoming a microcosm of Sichuan's strong manufacturing province.

To observe the high-quality development of Sichuan, it is necessary to find its direction on the national development map.

In history, Sichuan has always been regarded as a strategic rear area, and the state of Qin first captured Bashu, which gave it the capital to unify the world. During the Anti Japanese War, this place became the main battlefield for receiving the transfer of Chinese industrial and cultural resources. During the third line construction period, one eighth of the country's industrial investment gathered here.

Today, Sichuan is still extraordinary in China's economic landscape: it is the only province in the western region with an economic output exceeding the threshold of 5 trillion yuan, the largest clean energy base in the country, one of the three major power equipment manufacturing bases, and one of the 13 major grain producing provinces

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has visited Sichuan for three times and made important instructions on Sichuan work many times. "Unswervingly grasp the development of this first priority" "to promote the governance of Shu Xingchuan to a new level, in the comprehensive construction of a socialist modern country on the new journey of striving to write a new chapter in the development of Sichuan" ...... General Secretary of a series of important expositions, for the new era of governance of Shu Xingchuan pointed out the direction.

Writing a good chapter on governing Sichuan and promoting Sichuan in the new era, coordinated development is the key word.

Opening the topographic map, within a province of Sichuan, there are both the Chengdu Plain with a flat surface and the plateau snow capped mountains with an altitude of over 5000 meters. The unique natural geographical conditions and long-term accumulated development differences have formed a clear regional economic imbalance and imbalance in Sichuan:

Between regions, Chengdu dominates with an economic output of over 200 billion yuan last year, accounting for 36.7% of the province's total. Mianyang ranks second with over 360 billion yuan, and 12 cities and prefectures have an economic output of less than 200 billion yuan; There is a clear dual structure between urban and rural areas, and there is still a significant gap between rural areas and urban areas in terms of resource allocation, public service supply, and ecological environment protection.

Yang Jirui, Chief Expert of the Development Research Institute of Chengdu Chongqing Economic Zone at Southwest University of Finance and Economics, said that Sichuan not only has the Chengdu Plain with rapid urbanization and developed economy, but also underdeveloped areas such as Liangshan, Ganzi, and Aba. In the eyes of outsiders, Sichuan, which is considered "comfortable", is actually facing a "weak foundation, underdeveloped, and unbalanced" provincial situation, and insufficient development is still the most prominent problem.

Treat Shu from its weaknesses and weaknesses, and promote high-quality development to revitalize Sichuan.

Taking the major strategy of building a twin-city economic circle in Chengdu and Chongqing drawn by General Secretary Xi Jinping himself in early 2020 as the overall traction, Sichuan Province has put forward the development strategy of "synchronization of the four modernizations, integration of urban and rural areas, and co-prosperity of the five regions" and formulated differentiated policies to promote the coordinated development of Chengdu Plain, South Sichuan, Northeast Sichuan, Panxi Economic Zone and Northwest Sichuan Ecological Demonstration Zone.

In June, in Mianyang, the construction efforts of two billion dollar projects, Juxing Permanent Magnet Materials Co., Ltd. and Exxon New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., were as hot as the temperature.

"The government has made every effort to help us accelerate project construction, and it only took 10 months from the first pile to the pilot test, setting an industry record." Tong Shuanglong, the production and operation manager of Exxon, said, "This year, the company's expected output value will reach 1 billion yuan, and orders have been locked in. We are now working hard to catch up with the progress."

The speed of Mianyang demonstrates the determination and determination to work hard, take on responsibilities and make progress, and spare no effort in economic development and construction.

Mianyang is a Chinese science and technology city. "We are firmly driven by innovation to lead high-quality development, make good use of our unique technological innovation resources, and work together to open up new fields and tracks, shaping new driving forces and advantages for development." Cao Lijun, member of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Mianyang Municipal Party Committee, said, "Relying on the national strategic opportunity of building the Chengdu Chongqing Economic Circle, we have increased our efforts to go out and introduce. Last year, we introduced 7 industrial projects worth billions of yuan, of which 3 have been put into operation."

Walking on the land of Bashu, Sichuan is constantly achieving new breakthroughs in addressing the global issues that hinder reform and development in the new era.

The total economic output has been continuously rising - since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Sichuan's total economic output has crossed three trillion yuan steps, reaching 5.67 trillion yuan in 2022, ranking sixth in the country and first in the western region for six consecutive years. The import and export scale has exceeded the trillion yuan mark, and the grain production has exceeded 70 billion kilograms for three consecutive years;

The quality of development continues to improve - Sichuan Province's R&D funding ranks first in the central and western regions, and its comprehensive innovation capability ranks first in the country; The expressway has reached 9179 kilometers and the railway operation mileage has exceeded 5800 kilometers; The scale of foreign direct investment ranks first in the central and western regions, with 377 Fortune Global 500 enterprises settled in;

This is the Western Science City captured on June 13th. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Kun

The people's livelihood and well-being are constantly improving - building a strong ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, with a forest coverage rate of over 40% in the province, and a stable air quality rate of around 90%. The water quality of all 10 river sections meets the standard; Winning the battle against poverty as scheduled and promoting the sharing of basic public services such as elderly care, healthcare, education, and culture on the same track

"The land of abundance is really a good place." The encouragement of General Secretary Xi Jinping has inspired more than 90 million Bashu children to forge ahead and move towards the United States in governance and prosperity.

Reshaping new advantages in development through overall planning and establishment - "We cannot be satisfied with this, we must bravely move forward and take it to the next level."

Yibin, known as the "First City on the Yangtze River for Thousands of Miles". The Minjiang River and Jinsha River intersect here, and the Yangtze River was originally called the "Yangtze River".

Standing at the Sanjiangkou and looking north, within 5 kilometers, there used to be the industrial zone along the Yangtze River in Yibin. There are many industrial enterprises such as chemical, thermal, cement, and papermaking along the line. The Tianyuan Chemical Plant in Yibin, founded in 1943, was once less than a hundred meters away from the Yangtze River shoreline.

This is a collage photo. The picture above shows that on the north bank of the Yangtze River, 5 kilometers away from the main stream, a large factory building in the old factory area of Yibin Tianyuan Chemical Plant is being demolished; The following picture shows the new appearance of the old site of the former Yibin Tianyuan Chemical Plant, which was taken at the same location. Shen Jizhong

On June 26, 2018, a 120 meter high chimney collapsed in the industrial concentration area along the Yangtze River in Yibin. This was the last chimney in the 3000 acre old factory area of five industrial enterprises, including Tianyuan.

Today, on the banks of the Yangtze River, the former factory buildings have transformed into the Yangtze River Park, with winding paths, clear water, fish jumping, and people coming and going.

51 year old fishery patrol officer Tang Shengrong still remembers the shaky fishing boat he lived on when he was young and the figure of his father fishing on the river.

In 2019, Yibin took the lead in launching the Yangtze River fishermen's retreat and landing in the province, and Tang Shengrong and his wife went from being "fishermen" to "fish protectors" together. For the past three years, Tang Shengrong has witnessed firsthand the changes in the Mother River: the number of red billed gulls has increased year by year, and white cranes and wild ducks have become frequent visitors. "People swimming in the river often encounter big fish, which I couldn't imagine a few years ago."

In the distance, the newly established Sanjiang New Area is changing rapidly. Tianyuan Chemical has extended its industry to new chemical materials and new energy battery materials, entering a new industry track.

The changes in a family, a company, and a coastline reflect the development of Sichuan in coordinating and establishing.

"It's not easy for us to get to where we are today, it's all a fight. At the same time, we can't be satisfied with it, we have to move forward and take it to the next level." In June last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized this when he visited Sichuan.

To achieve high-quality development, it is necessary to coordinate the effective improvement of quality and the reasonable growth of quantity. Solving the problem of being large but not strong is precisely the direction of Sichuan's tackling.

How can the old foundation of "Made in Sichuan" rejuvenate with new vitality as the industry "declines before it becomes strong"?

The 2023 World Power Battery Conference was held in Yibin from June 8th to 11th. In 2019, the settlement of Sichuan Times, a subsidiary of Ningde Times, added a new business card to Yibin.

Ten years ago, the "one black and one white" industry of coal and Baijiu accounted for half of Yibin's industrial output value. Except for the "old three" of Wuliangye, Tianyuan and Siliya, there were few other emerging industrial enterprises in Yibin that could compete.

Successfully introducing power battery industry chain enterprises, Yibin embarked on the path of transformation.

Nowadays, the role of the "chain master" in the Sichuan era is becoming increasingly prominent. Over the past three years, a large number of supporting sub sectors such as Tianyi Lithium Industry and Libao New Materials have emerged, including 32 listed companies. The development trend of the power battery industry cluster has initially formed.

"Guided by ecological priority and green low-carbon, Yibin has focused on building nests and attracting new talents in emerging industries, as well as transforming and upgrading traditional industries. It has stepped onto a new stage of green new energy industry, mainly focused on power batteries and crystalline silicon photovoltaics." said Fang Cunhao, Secretary of the Yibin Municipal Party Committee.

Although Sichuan has established a modern industrial system covering 41 major industrial categories, the industrialization rate began to decline after reaching its peak of 40.9% in 2011. In 2022, the industrialization rate was only 28.9%, and the problem of "declining before strengthening" in industry is prominent.

In addition, structural problems such as a shortage of leading enterprises in Sichuan, a lack of key core links, and insufficient development of industrial clusters have also attracted high attention from the Party and government leaders in Sichuan.

In the report of the 12th Party Congress of Sichuan Province last year, the deployment of "highlighting the leading role of new industrialization and implementing the strategy of strengthening the province through manufacturing" attracted attention. Subsequently, Sichuan announced the implementation of the "Quality Improvement and Doubling" plan for six advantageous industries, including electronic information, equipment manufacturing, advanced materials, energy and chemical industry, food and textile industry, and medicine and health industry. At the beginning of this year, it proposed that by 2027, the total economic output of the province will exceed 8 trillion yuan, reaching an additional 3 trillion yuan level, and the industrialization rate will reach the national average level.

Nowadays, new changes are appearing almost every day on this land:

The first four scientist teams and two platforms of Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory have settled in Chengdu Future Medical City; In the past year, the construction of the Robot Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park in Mianyang Science and Technology City New Area has attracted 30 enterprises to settle in; Deyang, the "capital of reinstallation", is laying out a modern industrial chain for gas turbines

In the first four months of this year, the added value of high-tech industries and green low-carbon advantageous industries in Sichuan increased by 3.4% and 14.8% respectively, while the added value of crystalline silicon photovoltaics and power batteries increased by 61.5% and 33.3% respectively. The production and retail sales of new energy vehicles increased by 61.1% and 65.5% respectively, indicating that the development of new driving forces is taking effect.

On February 14, 2023, researchers from Chengdu Supercomputing Center inspected the equipment in the computer room. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Kun

Agriculture is "big but not strong", how can Tianfu granary polish its golden signboard?

Sichuan is one of the 13 major grain producing provinces in China and the only major grain producing province in Southwest China. It is also the largest province in terms of pig production and is known as the "safe world of pig food". But behind the halo, there is still a distance from being a major agricultural province to a strong agricultural province.

Among the more than 78 million mu of arable land in Sichuan, less than 14% are located on slopes below 2 degrees, while over 70% are on slopes above 6 degrees. This is described as "one level, two slopes, and seven parts of the mountain", and the inadequate "palm fields" and "chicken feet fields" seriously restrict the large-scale and intensive development of agriculture in Sichuan.

In addition, Sichuan has 25 agricultural resources that rank first in the country, but the industrial chain is incomplete, the competitiveness of the agricultural product market is uneven, and there are relatively few "well-known" agricultural brands.

"Sichuan to do a good job in agriculture, the grain production to do a good job" "in the new era to build a higher level of 'Tianfu granary '" ...... Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly made important instructions on Sichuan's "three rural" work.

Guarding the "granary of the Heavenly Mansion" and "storing grain in the earth and technology" are the key.

Entering Xigou Village, Yongtai Town, Zhongjiang County, located in the northwest of the Sichuan Basin, surrounded by shallow hills, multiple harvesters are galloping in the wheat fields. The golden wheat waves and the red and white agricultural machinery paint a beautiful scene in the field.

"Previously, this area was filled with scattered Ertai soil with low utilization efficiency and poor efficiency, resulting in many areas being abandoned." Lin Xi, the mayor of Yongtai Town, said that after the mechanization transformation, many cultivated land can be fully mechanized, which can effectively improve the efficiency of grain production.

Building high standard farmland, rectifying abandoned land, and promoting mechanized transformation of farmland in hilly areas... Sichuan is striving to make land plots "small to large," "short to long," "steep to slow," and "curved to straight," and improve the comprehensive production capacity of land. As of the end of 2022, Sichuan has built a total of 54 million mu of high standard farmland, and 4.25 million mu will be newly built and renovated this year.

To polish the golden signboard, we also need to focus on local specialties.

Chinese kimchi looks at Sichuan, Sichuan kimchi looks at Meishan - In Meishan, kimchi has a history of more than 1500 years, and due to the love of Meishan's literary giant Su Dongpo, "Dongpo kimchi" has become a specialty and a national geographical indication protection product in the area.

How to turn kimchi into a big industry? In the 1980s, the Meishan kimchi industry began to take off, but it remained in a state of "small scale, scattered layout, short chain, and relatively low variety, quality, and brand level" for a long time.

In response to the disorderly development of the industry, the local government has launched the action of building a Chinese kimchi hometown, bidding farewell to family workshop production, exploring the value potential of deep processing of agricultural products, and building a kimchi industry cluster. At present, Meishan has developed a vegetable raw material base of over 400000 acres, driving an increase in income for approximately 200000 households. In 2022, the sales revenue of Meishan kimchi reached 22.3 billion yuan, accounting for one-third of the national market share and being sold overseas.

"Meishan is based on China's kimchi city, connecting the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. It processes over 1.5 million tons of kimchi annually and provides 25000 job opportunities." Wang Zhidan, Deputy District Mayor of Dongpo District, Meishan City, said that now, Meishan Dongpo kimchi has gone global, and China's kimchi culture has also gone global.

Breaking away from the concept of extensive development, from "having" to "not being good", and promoting high-quality development with new development concepts, Sichuan is breaking through and reshaping new development advantages.

Integrating into the National Development Strategy by Seizing the Momentum and Momentum - "Striving to Write a New Chapter of Sichuan's Development"

Chengdu Tianfu New Area, on the banks of Xinglong Lake, is surrounded by numerous scientific research buildings, making it a future city of science and technology that is growing rapidly.

Today, it has not only become an ecologically beautiful online red card printing place, but also gathered scientific research institutes, such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences Chengdu Branch, the National Sichuan Tibet Railway Technology Innovation Center, the Chengdu Supercomputing Center, and "national key" and well-known enterprises.

This is the "Silicon Cube" in the main machine room of Chengdu Supercomputing Center. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Kun

He pointed out that Tianfu New Area is an important node in the construction of the "the Belt and Road" and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It must be well planned and constructed, especially to highlight the characteristics of the park city, take into account the ecological value, strive to create a new growth pole, and build an inland open economic highland.

This is a photo taken on April 6, 2022, of Jincheng Lake and Jincheng Park in Chengdu. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Kun

In October 2021, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Outline of the Construction Plan for the Chengdu Chongqing Dual City Economic Circle", which clearly proposed supporting the Tianfu New Area in Sichuan to take the lead in the construction of park cities.

The new chapter of Chengdu's development, from drawing a blueprint to being the first to try, is a vivid footnote for Sichuan to move towards the future.

View the whole situation from a corner. How can Sichuan grasp the times and trends, and promote the governance and revitalization of Sichuan to a new level in the new era and new journey?

To grasp the future of Sichuan, we need to look at the entire western region——

Today, walking through various parts of Sichuan and Chongqing, one can see bustling project construction sites everywhere.

On April 22nd, as an excavator excavated the final rock mass of the tunnel, the first tunnel of the Chengdu Dazhou Wanzhou high-speed railway, the Qingshan Tunnel, was completed. The Chengdu-Wanzhou high-speed railway is an important component of China's "Eight Verticals and Eight Horizontals" high-speed railway network along the Yangtze River. After completion, the Chengdu Chongqing region will open up a high-speed railway "artery" that connects the Yangtze River Delta and the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region.

The Joint Office for Promoting the Construction of the Chengdu Chongqing Dual City Economic Circle has recently announced that it will implement 248 major projects in 2023, covering seven key areas: modern infrastructure, modern industries, technological innovation, cultural tourism, ecological barriers, opening up to the outside world, and public services.

Time waits for no one, seize the day and night. From 67 in 2021 to 160 in 2022, and then to 248 in 2023... The construction of major projects in the Chengdu Chongqing Economic Circle continues to accelerate.

"The entire western region accounts for about 71% of the country's land area but only contributes about 20% of its GDP. The total economic output of Chengdu and Chongqing has exceeded 2 trillion yuan respectively. As the largest and most dynamic economy in the western region, the Chengdu Chongqing region undertakes the mission of a new growth pole. Promoting coordinated regional development is an inevitable choice in history." said Tang Jiqiang, Chief Researcher of the Western Finance Think Tank at Southwest University of Finance and Economics.

Sing the story of two cities well and jointly build an economic circle.

On February 17, 2023, workers from FAW Volkswagen Chengdu Branch worked in the final assembly workshop. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Kun

In the workshop of FAW Volkswagen Chengdu Branch, 130 new cars are produced every hour and continuously sold throughout the country.

"We are beneficiaries of the construction of the Chengdu Chongqing dual city economic circle. Among the company's 95 core suppliers, 12 come from Chongqing. The deep cooperation between Sichuan and Chongqing in the automotive industry has effectively reduced risks and costs," said Li Zhiqiang, Minister of the company's Production and Manufacturing Department.

Grasping the Future of Sichuan and Integrating into the National Chess Game——

On April 26th, the first "French Post DPD" train honked its horn and departed from Chengdu International Railway Port, heading towards Malashevich, Poland, more than 9800 kilometers away. The cross-border e-commerce goods such as small household appliances, digital products, and customized clothing carried by the train will be distributed to various parts of Europe there.

On April 26, 2013, the first Chengdu Europe Express began the normal operation of the Chengdu International Train. Now, the Chengdu International Train has become an important channel to support the transformation and upgrading of the Sichuan regional economy.

Over the years, from promoting the construction of Chengdu Chongqing double city economic circle, to promoting the western development in the new era to forming a new pattern, to promoting the construction of the "the Belt and Road" to develop in depth, which has marked the strategic position of Sichuan in the overall situation of the country, and also created a major opportunity for Sichuan to take the lead and make more contributions.

The inland hinterland has transformed into an open highland, and Sichuan's future development will undoubtedly play an increasingly important role in building a new development pattern in the national chess game.

Experts point out that the new development pattern requires promoting the formation of "land, sea, and domestic linkage, and mutual assistance between the east and the west". Sichuan, whose economic aggregate has crossed the threshold of 5 trillion yuan and has 41 major access routes, is located at the intersection of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the "the Belt and Road". To create a new growth pole internally and become a new pivot for opening up to the outside world will greatly expand China's strategic swing space.

Seize the opportunity and momentum, and firmly establish the confidence and confidence to move towards the future.

A year ago, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed during a visit to the Sansu Temple in Meishan City: "A drop of water can see the sun, and a Sansu Temple can see the breadth and depth of our Chinese culture. We say we should be firm in our cultural self-confidence, and this is an important example of the fact that China has the 'Three Sus."

"Entering the Earth", exploring the ancient Shu civilization in the archaeological excavation of Sanxingdui; "Feitian" touches the dream of "Nine Heavens Ranging the Moon" in the repeated launches in Xichang; Rise up and stand firm in disasters such as the Wenchuan earthquake... With a profound historical heritage and an indomitable spirit of Sichuan people, we gather strong spiritual strength for the high-quality development of Sichuan.

"Let the people go for a better day." What General Secretary Xi Jinping said during his inspection of Sichuan last year was warm and inspiring.

From the depth of history, today's Sichuan is writing the answer sheet of Chinese path to modernization with a more open and inclusive mind and the lofty ambition of daring to be the first in the world, and promoting the governance of Sichuan to a new level!