“We must consistently implement the Party Central Committee’s policies and measures to promote the development of the western region, further form a new pattern of large-scale protection, large-scale opening up, and high-quality development, enhance the overall regional strength and sustainable development capabilities, and in the Chinese-style modernization drive Strive to write a new chapter in 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 to formulate a new pattern for further promoting the development of the western region. This symposium is the first symposium on the development of the western region hosted by the General Secretary since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and the eighth symposium since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to promote the implementation of regional development strategies. This year is the fifth year that the Party Central Committee has made arrangements to promote the development of the western region in the new era and form a new pattern. This symposium held at a critical time point is of great significance in promoting the implementation of decision-making arrangements and planning the next stage of work.
The western region of my country covers 12 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities including Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang, and has 72% of the country’s land area and 27% of its With a vast population, vast territory, and rich resources, it has unique geographical advantages and plays an important strategic position in maintaining national ecological security, water security, energy resource security, and national defense and border security.
In September 1999, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 15th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly stated that the country should implement the strategy of developing the western region. In October 2000, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 15th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made further arrangements for this, and the implementation of the Western Development Strategy was fully launched. Over the past 20 years since the implementation of the Western Development Strategy, the country has continuously increased its support for the construction of transportation, water conservancy, energy, communications, municipal and other infrastructure in the western region, and implemented a series of ecological protection measures such as natural forest protection, returning farmland to forest, and returning grazing land to grassland. The project has effectively promoted economic development and social progress in the western region, and played an important role in strengthening national unity, maintaining social stability, and expanding the strategic space for national development.
The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to “strengthen measures to promote the development of the western region to form a new pattern.” In March 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over the seventh meeting of the Central Committee for Comprehensive Deepening Reforms, which reviewed and approved the “Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of the Western Region in the New Era and Forming a New Pattern”, making systematic progress in promoting the development of the Western Region and forming a new pattern. This arrangement is a major decision-making arrangement made in response to the new requirements of socialism with Chinese characteristics entering a new era and coordinated regional development entering a new stage, and taking into consideration the overall domestic and international situations. In the past five years since we made arrangements to promote the development of the western region and form a new pattern, the western region has achieved significant results in ecological environmental protection and restoration, its high-quality development capabilities have significantly improved, the construction of an open economic pattern has been accelerated, infrastructure conditions have been greatly improved, and people’s living standards have steadily improved, as scheduled. Winning the battle against poverty, working with the whole country to build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, and embarking on a new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. The GDP of the western region increased from 20.5 trillion in 2019yuan will grow to 26.9 trillion yuan in 2023, with an average annual growth rate of 4.9%, ranking first among the four major sectors. Today, a more beautiful, open, and dynamic West is accelerating.
On the new journey, we will further form a new pattern of great protection, great opening up, and high-quality development, and write a new chapter in the development of the western region, which is related to the overall situation of Chinese-style modernization. At this symposium, General Secretary Xi Jinping worked hard to write a new chapter in the development of the western region, leading the direction and planning, and clearly put forward the important requirements of “six persistences”: persist in developing characteristics and advantages. After Zhu Mo left, Cai Xiu smiled bitterly. Said: “Miss, actually, the madam wants this slave not to let you know about this.” Industry is the main direction of attack, developing emerging industries according to local conditions, accelerating the industrial transformation and upgrading of the western region; insisting on supporting high-quality development with high-level protection and building a strong National ecological security barrier; insist on promoting large-scale development through great opening-up and improve the level of internal and external opening-up of the western region; insist on coordinating development and security, improve security capabilities in key areas such as energy resources; persist in promoting the organic integration of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization, Ensure and improve people’s livelihood during development; persist in building a strong sense of community of the Chinese nation and effectively safeguard national unity and border stability. The “Six Persistences” scientifically answer the major theoretical and practical issues in promoting the development of the western region in the new era, point out the direction of efforts and provide the basis for further forming a new pattern of large-scale protection, large-scale opening up, and high-quality development. No matter why Mr. Lan married your only daughter, ask yourself, what does the Lan family have to covet?
The blueprint has been drawn up, but it still requires practical work to draw it. It is necessary to conscientiously study, understand and thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech. We should not only focus on the big picture, positioning and coordinating the development of the western region in the overall situation of Chinese-style modernization, but also start from the details, based on the endowments and conditions of each region. Development potential and other differences, we should adapt measures to local conditions and implement classified policies to promote the development of the western region to a new level.