III. Work Hard and Deliver Solid Results in Our Work in 2023

 

The year 2023 is the first year for fully implementing the guiding principles from the 20th CPC National Congress and for continuing to implement the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025). We will be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and fully implement the guiding principles from the 20th CPC National Congress and the Central Economic Work Conference held in 2022. We will follow the requirements set at the 11th Congress of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Provincial Party Committee and the Economic Work Conference of the Provincial Party Committee, and closely follow the Four Requirements. We will uphold the underlying principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability and apply the new development philosophy in full, to the letter and in all fields. We will accelerate the building of a new development pattern and promote high-quality development in all respects. We will improve coordination between epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development and between development and security. We will deepen reform and opening-up in all areas and promote the integrated development of Fujian and Taiwan. We will work to boost market confidence and both implement the strategy to expand domestic demand and deepen supply-side structural reform. We will work to stabilize growth, employment and prices and effectively prevent and resolve major risks. We will promote the overall improvement of economic operation and achieve effective improvement in quality and reasonable growth in quantity in order to make a good start in contributing our share to Chinese modernization.

 

The main projected targets for economic and social development this year are set as follows:

 

●    GRP growth of around 6%;

 

●    An increase of around 6% in general public budgetary revenue;

 

●    An increase of around 5.5% in local government revenue;

 

●    A 6% increase in fixed asset investment;

 

●    A 10% increase in total retail sales of consumer goods;

 

●    Export growth of 7%;

 

●    A 7% increase in per capita disposable income of urban residents;

 

●    A 7.5% growth in per capita disposable income of rural residents;

 

●    A surveyed urban unemployment rate of around 5.5%;

 

●    CPI increase of around 3%; and

 

●    Grain output of more than 5.07 million metric tons.

 

To achieve these targets, we must uphold CPC leadership over all aspects of our economic work and hold fast to the Five Macro Policies.[14] We must meet the Six Requirements[15], work hard to solve the five issues of overall importance[16], and prioritize the Eight Tasks.[17] We must remain confident, maintain our resolve, work harder, aim high and deliver better results.

 

We will push for epidemic prevention. We will manage COVID-19 as a Class B infectious disease, with a focus on making services and resources more available. We must always put the people and their lives before all else, focusing on protecting health and minimizing severe cases. We will tide over the difficulties together, help our people go through the epidemic period in a smooth and orderly manner and strive to win a comprehensive victory in the fight against COVID.

 

We will promote economic growth. The adjustment to the epidemic prevention and control measures is a positive stimulus to speed up economic recovery and usher in a better future. Keeping an eye on the overall situation, we will strengthen the analysis and scheduling of economic operation, providing both good policies and services. We will promote investment, consumption and export, and leverage the roles of both government and market. We will make demand and supply mutually reinforcing and move faster to promote positive interplay between domestic and international economic flows. We will build consensus and pool wisdom and resources for achieving high-quality development.

 

We will deliver benefits to the people. Seeing that the people live a better life remains the ultimate goal of our work. We must adhere to the people-centered development approach and prioritize seeking practical benefits for the people. We will continue to increase investment, promote the wellbeing of the people and strengthen weak links, and care for the disadvantaged groups, and address their pressing concerns. We will endeavor to make parallel progress in developing the economy and improving the people’s lives.

 

We will ensure safety and security. In the post-COVID period, production, consumption and travel will restore, and all kinds of risks and hidden dangers will also increase. We must strengthen the sense of responsibility at all times, foresee what is coming and keep track of small changes that could lead to heavy losses. We must take the initiative and adopt resolute measures to prevent serious and major accidents. We will stay highly alert to “black swan” events and effectively prevent “gray rhinoceros” events, and maintain a high level of security to ensure high-quality development.

 

1. Strive to promote high-quality economic development

 

We will grow the digital economy, marine economy, green economy, and culture and tourism-based economy which represent our province’s advantage in achieving high-quality economic development. We will advance the development of a Digital Fujian and hold the Sixth Digital China Summit. We will strengthen new infrastructure, and support Fuzhou, Quanzhou and other cities in becoming cities with both mobile and broadband gigabit networks. We will cultivate cross-industry and cross-sector industrial internet platforms and help the Longyan Tulou Cloud Valley Data Center, Xiamen Digital Industry Computing Center, etc. become new national data centers. We will plan and nurture future-oriented industries such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology and meta-universe, build 100-billion yuan industry clusters for big data, the Internet of Things and satellite applications, and realize an added value of more than 2.9 trillion yuan in the digital economy. We will develop a Maritime Fujian, give play to the leading role of the Fuzhou and Xiamen national demonstration zones for marine economic development, and make broadband available aboard marine fishing vessels. We will foster the offshore equipment, offshore wind power, deep-sea aquaculture, and marine biomedicine industries, and ensure that our gross marine product continues to be among the highest in the country. We will advance the action plan for the development of the green economy, accelerate the building of an Electric Fujian, and support the growth of energy conservation and environmental protection, clean production, and clean energy industries. We will implement the ten actions for high-quality development of culture and tourism-based economy,[18] build world-class tourist attractions based on the world’s cultural and natural heritage, and support Pingtan in building an international tourism island. We will work for the faster recovery of tourism and develop new forms of cultural tourism such as CPC heritage tourism, ecotourism, industrial tourism, rural tourism, marine tourism, and health tourism. We will build the No. 1 Coastal Scenic Corridor to high standards, enrich the integrated ecotourism product offers, and improve the quality of tourism services. This will enable Fujian to be worthy of the title of the “land of refreshment and poetic dreams”.

 

We will enhance the competitiveness of manufacturing, which is our top priority in promoting high-quality development of the real economy. With a focus on high-end, smart and green growth, we will move faster to improve the quality and performance of electronics, information, advanced equipment manufacturing, petrochemical, modern textiles and garments and other pillar industries. We will help upgrade food, metallurgy, building materials, arts and crafts and other traditional industries, promote the integrated development of new materials, new energy, biology and new medicine and other emerging strategic industries as clusters, and support Ningde in building a world-class power battery industry cluster and holding the 2023 World Energy Storage Conference. With a focus on strengthening, extending and complementing the industrial chain, we will improve the industrial coordination mechanism and strengthen industrial leading bodies. We will work to standardize industrial parks, actively introduce high-end manufacturing projects, and organize the implementation of more than 1,000 key provincial technical transformation projects. Stressing quality and brand building, we will guide enterprises in applying high standards to ensure high-quality development through which brands are nurtured.

 

We will enhance the scale, quality and efficiency of the service industry. This is an important measure to build a new engine of high-quality economic development. To attract more investment to Fujian, we will further implement the program of encouraging capital inflow, gather quality financial resources and increase support for small and micro businesses, scientific and technological innovation, and green development. To facilitate smooth transport, we will modernize our logistic system, develop multimodal transportation that connects road, rail, sea and air transport. We will accelerate the building of BRI logistics channels and national logistics hub cities, make Fuzhou better able to help and lead other areas as a key national cold chain logistics base, and improve the Xiamen container hub port. We will actively integrate modern service industries with advanced manufacturing and modern agriculture. We will accelerate the development of industrial design, science and technology services and other productive services, and foster tailored production, shared manufacturing, supply chain management, integration management, general contracting, and other new business models. We will also use the Digital Plus and the Intelligent Plus models to support education, health, recreation and other consumer services, to better meet our people’s diversified needs at multiple levels.

 

We will increase domestic demand, which is crucial for sustaining the momentum for high-quality economic development. We will promote economic recovery, expand spending, advance the Fujian Spending Initiative, support spending on housing improvement, new energy vehicles, and elderly services, promote consumption in home appliances, furniture, home furnishings, and expand and upgrade consumption in such popular areas as information and green products. We will develop remote-tailored production, experience sharing and other new models. We will further increase variety, improve quality, and nurture brands, continue the “pair-up” program in textile, footwear, food, health and other industries, better coordinate supply and demand, and promote the sale of made-in-Fujian products. We will boost both urban and rural consumption, accelerate the creation of regional consumption centers, and strengthen county commercial systems. We will promote consumption of specialty products and other agricultural products in cities and consumption of high-quality consumer goods in the countryside. We will enhance government investment and policy incentives. To grow the economy and meet the people’s needs, we will increase policy-based financial support for major projects in line with the national development plan, encourage and attract more private capital to participate in major national projects and projects for addressing weak links. We will accelerate the implementation of the projects of the 14th Five-Year Plan and make appropriate forward planning for projects that can consolidate the foundations, improve the economic structure, and deliver long-term benefits. We will work to expand effective investment. We will move faster to create a comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network and complete the Fuzhou-Xiamen High-Speed Railway, Xiamen’s second east passage, and the renovation and expansion of the Quanzhou-Nanping Expressway. We will do all we can to promote the second-phase expansion of Fuzhou’s Changle International Airport, the construction of a new airport in Xiamen, and the transformation and expansion of Quanzhou’s Jinjiang Airport, and upgrading of the Xiamen-Fuzhou-Quanzhou National Comprehensive Freight Hub. We will start construction on the Zhangzhou-Shantou High-Speed Railway, the Wuping-Meizhou section of the Longyan-Longchuan Railway and speed up the preliminary work for construction on the Wenzhou-Fuzhou High-Speed Railway, the Wenzhou-Wuyishan-Ji’an Railway, and the railway to Xiamen Port. We will accelerate construction of the coastal port berths and revitalize Minjiang River shipping. We will accelerate the planning and building of renewable energy systems and make progress in the Zhangzhou nuclear power units 1–4, the Fuzhou-Xiamen ultra-high voltage project, the smart power distribution network, and the pumped-storage power plants. We will accelerate progress in major water conservancy projects, including the ecological restoration and rectification of the lower reaches of the Mulan River, water diversion from the Jiulong River, flood control on the mainstream of the Minjiang River, and the dam project of the Bailai Reservoir. We will start construction of the Shangbaishi water conservancy hub in Ningde and the project of ensuring water supply to Kinmen. We will complete feasibility studies for the water resources allocation in southwest and eastern Fujian in order to fundamentally solve the problems of the uneven distribution and inadequacy of water resources.

 

We will enhance the vitality of market players as required for accumulating the basic strength for high-quality economic development. We will fully protect the property rights of private enterprises and the rights and interests of entrepreneurs in the private sector. We will promote the entrepreneurial spirit and encourage enterprises to develop their businesses and build up their brands without distractions. We will cultivate leading enterprises and enterprises that use special and sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products. We will create more than 300 such SMEs and over 100 little giant enterprises. We will attract investment in a well-conceived and targeted manner, encourage investors to add investment and expand production, and improve the coordination mechanism of investment work. We will attract more quality and sizable investment projects by leading enterprises in the high-tech sector to fill the gaps in the industrial chain. We will strengthen efforts against monopoly and unfair competition, regulate and guide the healthy development of capital in accordance with the law, and support the platform enterprises in making a difference. We will foster a cordial and clean relationship between government and business. We will improve the systems of government-enterprise consultations and of officials as service contacts for designated enterprises. Officials should have cordial relations with businesses without crossing the line, and stay clean and honest while fulfilling their responsibilities of delivering results.

 

2. Strive to become more innovative and competitive

 

We will prioritize education. We will foster virtue through education, further strengthen education in our province, and lay a solid foundation for innovation. We will coordinate and improve the allocation of basic education resources, advance school operation by educational groups, and improve preschool education. We will transform 150 public kindergartens in urban and peri-urban areas, and make preschool universal, affordable, safe and high-quality. We will shore up the weak links in compulsory education and build capabilities in this regard. We will add 50,000 public compulsory education places, and promote quality and balanced development of public education which is offered in both urban and rural areas. We will ease the problems created by the shortage of school district houses and excessively large numbers of students vying to enroll in popular schools. We will develop regular county senior secondary schools and promote high-quality development of senior secondary schools with unique characteristics. We will promote inclusive and integrated development of special education, and improve the financial support system covering all school segments. We will pursue coordinated innovation and integrated development of vocational education and higher education and implement the Ten-Year Plan of Fujian Province for Higher Education (2021–2030), the plan for the new round of development for first-class universities and first-class disciplines, and the plan for development of first-class application-type universities. We will refine academic programs of universities, encourage universities to develop by leveraging their internal strengths, and support the development of Fuyao University of Science and Technology. We will implement the Plan for the Development of High-Level Higher Vocational Education Institutions and Disciplines with Chinese Characteristics, and increase policy support and investment in this regard. We will carry out the pilot “through train” reform that connects junior and senior vocational school education with undergraduate education in universities. We will improve the public service system of technical education and vocational skills training to cultivate more high-skilled workers, senior technicians and master craftsmen. We will coordinate efforts to build a sound school management and education evaluation system, enhance teacher ethics and improve teaching materials. We will relieve students in compulsory education of excessive burdens from homework and off-campus tutoring in accordance with the law. We will guide and regulate the development of private schools and strengthen regulation of off-campus training institutions, so that students can achieve academic success, their parents are assured and the public is satisfied.

 

We will build up self-reliance in science and technology. We will fully implement the innovation-driven development strategy and improve the science and technology innovation ecosystem. We will give full play to the role of the Fuzhou-Xiamen-Quanzhou National Innovation Demonstration Zone, continue to develop the Southeast China (Fujian) Science City, Xiamen Science City, Quanzhou Space-Time Science and Technology Innovation Base, Sanming-ZGC Science Park and Fujian Innovation Research Institute, and support the existing platforms in emerging stronger and producing more early results. We will establish provincial laboratories for marine and IC innovation and work to secure the building of national energy and marine laboratories in our province. We will ensure that enterprises play a prominent role in science and technology innovation and that the number of our high-tech enterprises and their industrial added value are doubled. We will offer prior tax deductions for businesses’ R&D expenses and give businesses segmented subsidies, so as to raise total R&D spending by over 18% in our province. We will transform government science and technology management functions and explore long-term and stable support mechanisms for universities, research institutions and high-level leading talents. We will conduct further reforms related to the right to use, transfer, and profit from research results, move faster to boost our province’s competitiveness in the area of intellectual property, and sustain a sound cycle for science and technology, industry and finance. In order to develop core technologies in such key fields as optoelectronic information and advanced materials, we will implement the mechanisms of open bidding and team competition to select the best candidates for key research projects and find the best research pathways for optimal results, and launch a number of major forward-looking and leading sci-tech projects.

 

We will encourage talent to lead and drive growth. We will implement the program of developing quality workforce in the new era, build a more active, open and effective human resources policy system, and nurture a strong workforce to support innovation. We will strengthen the planning for talent development, support the development of the digital economy talent base in Fuzhou, the cross-Strait leading talent base for innovation and business startups in Xiamen, and the advanced manufacturing talent base in Quanzhou. We will encourage all regions to develop distinctive talent platforms and develop a pyramid-shaped human resources pattern spearheaded by top-notch talent. We will train and attract high-caliber talent and cultivate more leading talent, sci-tech research heads, high-level innovation teams, top young talent, outstanding engineers, and highly skilled personnel. We will attract more high-end professional young talent at home and abroad who perfectly meet our needs. We will strengthen the institutions for talent development and improve the mechanism of science and technology commissioners in the new era. With six provincial innovation laboratories as pilots, we will fully authorize employers and loosen control over research funding management, staff size management, and talent exchange. We will make the environment more favorable for talent growth and refine the salary, housing, medical care, spouse placement, children’s education and other targeted services. We will deliver on our promises. We are attracting talent with utmost sincerity, so that talented people will develop a sense of belonging in their life and work here and succeed in their careers.

 

3. Encourage joint development for shared benefits across urban and rural areas and regions

 

We will promote rural revitalization across the board. We will prioritize the development of agriculture and rural areas along the path of rural revitalization with Fujian characteristics. We will improve the monitoring and assistance mechanism to help people stay above the poverty line, consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation, and make sure that people do not fall back into poverty in large numbers. We will improve the modern agricultural industry system, and accelerate the building of national modern agricultural industrial parks, clusters of leading agro-industries with unique advantages, and towns strong in the agricultural industry. We will grant agricultural insurance premium subsidies and cultivate new types of agribusinesses. We will continue to promote the one village one product initiative, make Top Fujian Agricultural Products a brand name, and enhance the performance, economic returns and competitiveness of agriculture. We will improve the cultivation of local talent, encourage all kinds of talent to return to the countryside, and train more competent farmers. We will improve rural cultural facilities, build a number of rural theaters and cultural parks for farmers, and create distinctive public cultural service brands such as the People’s Stage. We will improve rural living environment, and implement the rural development program. Projects on city renewal, new district building, ecological conservation, traffic improvement and security and resilience will continue. We will create beautiful courtyards, micro landscapes, small parks and squares, farmland, and leisure tourism sites in the countryside, and designate 100 demonstration visitor routes for rural revitalization. We will improve rural governance and bring the role of village rules and established practices into play. We will encourage a shift away from outdated social practices in favor of healthy conduct in the countryside and integrate self-governance, the rule of law, and rule by virtue.

 

We will increase regional cooperation. We will work for coordinated development of regions and improve the mechanism of developed areas providing paired assistance to relatively underdeveloped areas. More progress will be made in the coordinated development of northeast Fujian and southwest Fujian. All this will contribute to creating a regional economic pattern featuring complementarity and high-quality development. We will accelerate the development of the Fuzhou metropolitan area in accordance with the plan to enhance the strengths of the provincial capital city. We will promote integrated and high-quality development of the Fuzhou New Area and the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone, support Putian in taking the lead in pursuing green and high-quality development, and support Nanping in accelerating green and high-quality development on all fronts. We will accelerate the development of the Xiamen-Zhangzhou-Quanzhou metropolitan area, support Xiamen in building a high-quality development leading demonstration area, and support Quanzhou in becoming a 21st century Maritime Silk Road city. We will accelerate the development of the old revolutionary base areas of western Fujian as high-quality development demonstration areas and improve the policies of prioritizing the development of old revolutionary base areas with appropriate preferential treatment. We will support the cooperation between Longyan and Guangzhou and between Sanming and Shanghai. We will accelerate regional cooperation and take the initiative to coordinate our development with the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. We will contribute further to deepened cooperation between eastern and western China and paired assistance to the western region, implement projects to aid Tibet and Xinjiang, and bring our cooperation with Ningxia to a new level.

 

We will steadily improve the quality of new urbanization. We are committed to people-centered new urbanization and will improve the spatial configuration and shape of urbanization. We will promote urbanization with a key focus on county towns, bring into play the role of 10 nationally well-known counties in demonstrating new urbanization and help county towns increase their population, industries and functions. We will renew cities, renovate and upgrade 2,580 old residential quarters, and actively promote the development of full-fledged communities on a pilot basis. We will develop cities that are more pleasant to live in, more resilient and more intelligent. We will build utility tunnels according to local conditions, improve the sorting of municipal solid waste, refine the environment of back streets and alleys, add 20,000 public parking spaces, and build a number of new country parks, green walkways, and city parks. All this will make our environment more comfortable and our lives better.

 

4. Make breakthroughs in reform

 

We will promote reform in key areas. We will take reform as our guide and look to reform to drive development. We will deepen reform to keep resource allocation market-oriented, complete the 23 tasks to speed up the development of a unified national market, and support Quanzhou’s pilot project of putting low-utility land to good use. We will deepen rural reform in the new stage of development, consolidate and improve the basic rural operation system, and develop a new rural collective economy. We will promote the reform of the rural collective property rights system, carry out the rural contracted land reform for separating land ownership rights, contract rights, and management rights step by step. We will conduct pilot reforms of the rural homestead system, and trading of rural collective land designated for business use in a prudent manner. We will step up regional financial reform and innovation and fully support the pilot scheme of China’s digital currency. We will accelerate the creation of demonstration areas for the reform to introduce inclusive finance and green finance. We will deepen the reform of state-owned enterprises and balance their economic interests with social responsibilities. We will promote strategic restructuring and business consolidation of Fujian provincial government enterprises, and improve modern corporate governance of state-owned enterprises with Chinese characteristics. We will push forward the coordinated development and rectification of medical treatment, health insurance, and medicine and consolidate and enhance the achievements of Sanming’s medical reform. We will accelerate the integrated reform of the drug procurement mechanism, the medical service price formation mechanism and the medical insurance payment mechanism, the establishment of tiered diagnosis and treatment, and the innovation of the integrated health care system. We will improve the major disease insurance and medical assistance systems and advance trials of a long-term care insurance system. We will deepen the reform of the collective forest rights system and improve the four mechanisms of forest rights transfer, multimodal joint operation, value realization and diversified services. We will promote the standardized and orderly transfer of the right to 133,300 hectares of forests.

 

We will take digitalization as a guide in our reforms. With the support of IT application, we will move faster in digitalization to make government and society smarter and realize the full value of data. We will work to build coordinated and efficient digital government and build a provincial integrated digital platform for law enforcement. We will make good use of two platforms, one for monitoring and performance management of economic and social operations and high-quality development, and the other for public data collection and sharing. We will make government services available online, and enable online use of province-wide administrative governance functions and online coordination of actions across government departments. We will work to build a digital society based on public participation for shared benefits and create new ways of providing public services. We will improve the quality of public services and promote the application of digital services for all in education, medical care, pension, childcare, employment, and assistance for the disabled. We will strive to build a system that supplies rich and diversified data and foster a fair, open and transparent data market. We will create more data application scenarios, bring into play data value effects, realize digital empowerment and stimulate market vitality.

 

We will nurture a world-class business environment. We will implement the Action Plan of Fujian Province for Business Environment Innovation and Reform in the principle of taking a market-driven approach and global vision, the rule of law, and business facilitation, in order to create a Convenient Fujian where businesses can access government service easily and get things done quickly.

 

To improve our services through reform, we will do the following:

 

●    Improve or redesign the process of government services;

 

●    Deepen the reform to integrate all licenses for an industry into one comprehensive license and to allow multiple business premises to be registered in a business license;

 

●    Guarantee users free-of-charge services for accessing electricity;

 

●    Introduce the land list system for private investment projects and count multiple surveying and mapping items as one item in these projects;

 

●    Ensure all relevant authorities carry out joint acceptance of projects and render unified decisions;

 

●    Provide one-stop review and approval services for applications in high demand; and

 

●    Ensure that more government services are provided on an inter-provincial basis, on mobile terminals or granted without the need for application.

 

To provide more facilitation to businesses through improved connectivity, we will do the following:

 

●    Expand the trials of multimodal transport service in a single contract;

 

●    Expand the single window plus services;

 

●    Explore the possibility of cross-border trade document processing, information sharing and online verification between Xiamen and other BRICS countries and RCEP countries; and

 

●    Support Pingtan’s steady implementation of the policy of free movement of imports into the free trade zone and strict procedure for moving imported goods into non-free trade zone areas.

 

To build the image of a trustworthy government, we will do the following:

 

●    Make regulation and law enforcement more standardized and transparent;

 

●    Extend the credit commitment system;

 

●    Improve the credit reparation mechanism;

 

●    Strengthen credit information sharing;

 

●    Abide by the spirit of contract; and

 

●    Promote Trustworthiness in Fujian.

 

5. Pursue higher-standard opening-up

 

We will make greater efforts to stabilize and expand exports. We will actively integrate industry and trade, and attract more investors in the foreign trade industry chain. We will nurture famous enterprises, brands, and products in the field of foreign trade, and develop digital trade. We will stabilize the scale of foreign trade and improve its mix. We will actively build public platforms for international marketing. We will give enterprises policy support to use RCEP preferential tariffs and other rules to expand market share and sign more contracts, thus expanding the global sale of products made in Fujian. We will actively develop market procurement, cross-border e-commerce, overseas warehouses and other new forms of foreign trade and pursue parallel progress in opening up the service industry and developing trade in services. We will expand the import of advanced technology, important equipment, energy resources and other products, build a national demonstration zone for creative promotion of import trade, and support Xiamen in building a national demonstration zone for trade in services innovation. We will actively broaden the financing channels for micro, small and medium-sized foreign trade businesses, improve the export credit insurance support policy, and encourage enterprises to turn to our province’s unique measures of using exchange rate hedge products to reduce their exchange losses. We will actively improve the service mechanism for key foreign trade enterprises and formulate and implement new foreign trade stabilization policies and measures. We will strengthen monitoring, analysis and tracking services, and make every effort to promote production, ensure smooth trade flow and nurture market entities.

 

We will make greater efforts to attract and utilize foreign investment. We will fully implement the negative list for foreign investment market access and China’s latest catalog of encouraged industries for foreign investment. We will open more of our modern service industries to the outside world, and maintain and encourage more inbound investment. We will provide national treatment for overseas companies, ensuring their equal access to government procurement, bidding and standard-setting in accordance with the law, and provide maximum convenience for foreign investors in Fujian. We will carry out extensive activities to attract foreign investment, especially key investment projects by seizing the opportunities brought by the restructuring of the global industrial chains. We will fully support the development of major foreign-funded projects such as the Sino-Saudi Gulei Ethylene Complex Project and facilitate the delivery of 100 overseas-funded projects whose investment is on the way and another 100 overseas-funded projects under negotiation to help upgrade our province’s overall industrial chain. We will promote the development of opening-up platforms and make solid progress in developing the pilot free trade zone. We will strive for more central government policies that allow us to play a path-finding role, strengthen system integration and innovation in such areas as investment, trade and finance and promote the application of innovative achievements in more areas. We will host the 23rd China International Fair for Investment and Trade, expand exchanges with our international sister cities and increase exchanges and cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao in various fields. These efforts will help build a bridge for cooperation with overseas Chinese and attract investment from them and others abroad.

 

We will give play to the amplifying effect of the special zones and areas. We will make solid progress in developing the core area of the Maritime Silk Road, fully implement the Silk Road Maritime and other projects and the Silk Road Partners Plan and accelerate the development of the Maritime Silk Road Central Legal District. We will strengthen industrial cooperation with other BRI countries and regions and seek early approval of the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" projects with Indonesia and the Philippines. We will improve and integrate our province’s port resources and actively expand off-shore shipping routes with other RCEP countries. We will enhance the economies of scale of the China-Europe freight trains, better coordinate our maritime Silk Road initiatives with the land Silk Road initiatives and promote their integrated development. We will make solid progress in the reform and opening-up of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone, build the BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center, and host the BRICS Forum on Partnership on New Industrial Revolution and other activities. We will work to attract more incumbent companies and create a number of landmark cooperation projects.

 

6. Accelerate the building of the demonstration area for cross-Strait integrated development

 

We will make Fujian the first choice for people from Taiwan for convenient exchanges and close cooperation. We will increase our cooperation with Taiwan in industries such as electronics, information, petrochemicals, precision machinery, biotechnology, modern services and modern agriculture, and build high-quality Taiwan-related economic cooperation parks such as Taiwan investment zones and Taiwan farmers’ parks. We will integrate the industrial, supply and value chains of the competitive enterprises in Fujian and Taiwan, support the listing of high-quality Taiwan-funded enterprises in Fujian on the mainland, and accelerate the creation of the Taiwan Investment Board in the regional equity market. We will foster the development of the Fujian-Taiwan cooperation platform and accelerate the building of the cross-Strait energy resources transit platform and the Taiwan-related function-based economic and trade platform. We will support Fuzhou, Pingtan and other places in building cross-border e-commerce distribution hubs for Taiwan, and support Pingtan in exploring the building of a pilot area for the cross-Strait common market. We will push forward the projects of water, electricity and gas supply and bridge transport for the Kinmen-Matsu region, and accelerate the development of the joint living circle of Xiamen and Kinmen and the common home of Fujian and Matsu.

 

We will make Fujian the first choice for people from Taiwan with open policies and attentive services. We will improve the systems of medical care, housing, social security, pension, and children’s schooling for our Taiwan compatriots in Fujian and further harmonize standards across the Taiwan Strait. We will recognize more vocational qualifications from Taiwan, and make access to basic public services more equitable, inclusive and convenient for our Taiwan compatriots. We will improve the coordination mechanism for the protection of the rights and interests of Taiwan investors and enterprises, and protect the rights and interests of our Taiwan compatriots in accordance with the law. We will improve the policy support and service system for Taiwan youth to find jobs and create startups in Fujian and encourage and support Taiwan teachers to come to Fujian for full-time teaching. We will support Taiwan youth’s participation in environmental protection, rural revitalization, community building, volunteerism and other grassroots integration practices, and continue to see that Fujian and Taiwan youth expand the common circles of friends and career.

 

We will make Fujian the first choice for people from Taiwan because of our cultural affinity and similar way of life. We will encourage activities to explore family history, pay homage to ancestors, trace family tree archives, and exchange religious beliefs. We will strengthen the protection of Taiwan-related cultural relics, support the sharing of intangible cultural heritage and folk art with Taiwan, and carry forward fine traditional Chinese culture together with Taiwan. We will continue to deepen the integration of education between Fujian and Taiwan, and support the joint compilation of textbooks, history books and cultural works across the Taiwan Strait. We will continue to promote primary-level and youth exchanges between Fujian and Taiwan, and ensure the success of the 15th Straits Forum and the 11th Straits Youth Day, in order to build a closer bond between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

 

7. Comprehensively develop social programs to improve people’s wellbeing

 

To improve the income of residents, we will put employment first. To this end, we will do the following:

 

●    Give greater prominence to promoting the employment of young people, especially college graduates;

 

●    Take multiple measures to ensure the employment of key groups such as migrant workers and demobilized military personnel;

 

●    Continue to help with the employment of those with difficulties finding jobs;

 

●    Accelerate the development of the odd job market;

 

●    Step up fight against wage arrears; and

 

●    Add more than 500,000 jobs in urban areas for the whole year.

 

We will help increase the income of urban workers, farmers, groups in difficulty, and high-end personnel and ensure that taxation, social security and transfer payments play a greater role in adjusting income. We will do all we can to increase income for the low-income groups, move faster to expand the middle-income group, and adjust income for the high-income groups as appropriate. We will improve the mechanism for normal adjustment of the minimum wage, deepen the reform of the remuneration system of public hospitals, and improve the long-term mechanism of performance-based salaries for primary and secondary school teachers. We will implement the tertiary distribution system, and provide guidance and support to enterprises, social organizations and individuals with the will and ability in actively participating in welfare and charitable causes.

 

We will strengthen social security. We will actively develop elderly care programs and services, grow the silver hair economy, promote smart and healthy elderly care, and improve services for elderly people who live alone or have disabilities. We will strengthen the renovation of public facilities for the convenience of senior citizens and the development of barrier-free environments, add 300 senior citizens’ canteens and 50 integrated elderly care service institutions, and make elderly and health care our golden brand. We will fully implement national unified management of basic old-age insurance funds for enterprise employees, encourage the development of private pension schemes, and further improve the unified provincial management of funds for basic medical insurance, unemployment insurance and workplace safety insurance. We will ensure the social safety net covers all people, steadily improve social insurance benefits, and promote the development of government-tailored commercial health insurance. We will provide more social assistance, and strengthen the assistance and support for low-income populations, in order to ensure that the people’s basic needs are met. We will fully support people’s needs for home purchase and housing improvements, and uphold the principle that houses are not for speculation. We will work to solve the housing problems of new citizens and young people, explore the development of the long-term rental housing market, and get the real estate industry out of the predicament and help it shift to a new development model as soon as possible.

 

We will accelerate the development of a Healthy Fujian. We will strengthen the public health system and become better able to prevent and control major epidemics, provide rescue services, and respond to emergencies. We will attach greater importance to mental and psychological health, and carry out extensive activities to improve public sanitation and effectively curb the spread of major infectious diseases. We will increase high-quality medical resources and make their distribution more balanced. We will continue to promote high-quality development of public hospitals and accelerate the development of national and provincial-level regional medical centers. We will improve the service capacity of primary medical institutions, allocate more medical resources to primary-level medical institutions, and continue to send 1,000 physicians to serve at community clinics. We will follow through the three-year plan to attract, train and promote medical and health professionals at the primary level. All these will help stabilize the ranks of rural doctors. We will accelerate information system integration among health, medical insurance, and medical products administration authorities to achieve cross-sectoral health data sharing and collaboration and improve coordinated medical services through the two-way referral system. We will include traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) into the health reform, and further explore Fujian TCM and preserve its unique techniques. We will develop TCM-based clinical departments and build the reputation of Fujian’s TCM. We will work to reduce childbirth, child-rearing, and education cost and promote long-term balanced population development.

 

We will promote cultural development in our province. We will strengthen public awareness of the core socialist values, develop advanced socialist culture, promote revolutionary culture, and carry forward fine Chinese traditional culture. We will promote the creative transformation and innovative development of Fu culture, the mental heritage of the ancient philosopher Zhuxi and the shipbuilding legacy. We will promote Fujian’s maritime culture and build our cultural identity system. We will improve people’s ethics, advocate public civility in the new era, develop national model cities on ethical progress, and improve the system and working mechanisms for volunteer services. We will strengthen the protection and utilization of cultural relics and cultural heritage and support Quanzhou in becoming a model city for the protection and utilization of world heritage. We will fully support the inclusion of Putian and Xiamen in China’s list of national historic cities and comprehensively carry out archaeological research on the Austronesian people and explore and protect their culture. We will essentially complete the building of the Fujian part of the Long March National Cultural Park and accelerate the building of the Fujian Provincial Art Museum and the big data heritage protection platform. We will encourage the creation of more high-quality literary and artistic works of Fujian. We will implement projects to improve the quality of literary and artistic works and develop culture for the benefit of the people. We will build international fame for audio-visual products made in Fujian and successfully organize the 36th Golden Rooster Awards, the 10th Silk Road International Film Festival, and the China TV Drama Conference. We will strengthen new think tanks and develop philosophy, social sciences, archives, local records, counselling, and work related to cultural and historical materials. We will strengthen fitness-for-all programs and joint development of amateur sports, competitive sports, and the sports industry. We will build and renovate a number of smart sports parks and community sports corners and see that school and public sports venues are open to the public, in an effort to make Fujian strong in sports.

 

8. Improve the ecosystems of our province from a higher starting point

 

We will accelerate green and low-carbon transformation. We will make economic and social development green and low-carbon by reducing the carbon footprint. Whenever industrial projects and economic growth rates are in conflict with environmental protection, we will put environment first even if it means the loss of the project or lower growth rates. We will adjust and improve the industrial, energy, and transportation structures and intensify efforts to develop green and low-carbon technologies. We will promote energy saving and carbon reduction in key industries such as iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, building materials, and petrochemicals, and encourage the recycling of resources. We will actively implement pilot programs to develop low-carbon cities, parks, and communities and encourage the use of new energy vehicles and prefabricated modules. We will promote the recycling of construction waste and other solid waste, and create new ways of work and life. We will explore more ways to realize the market value of ecosystem products and services, further develop national ecological conservation pilot areas, and accelerate the development of the cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions. We will consolidate and enhance the carbon sink capacity of our forestry and marine systems and ecological agriculture, industrialize environmental protection, and pursue green industrial development. Efforts will be made to ensure that the pilot programs on ecological conservation will bear fruitful results.

 

We will further prevent and control environmental pollution. We will adopt targeted, scientific, and law-based pollution control measures, accelerate the rectification of the problems identified by the central environmental protection inspection team, enhance provincial routine inspections on environmental protection, and address river basin-wide, regional and industrial pollution by category.

 

We will work hard to keep our skies blue, coordinate prevention and control of fine particulate matter and ozone pollution, and control diesel truck pollution. We will intensify efforts to upgrade the steel, cement, electrolytic aluminum, flat glass and other non-electric industries so that they meet the ultra-low emissions target. We will work harder to comprehensively treat volatile organic compounds and step up urban dust pollution control. We will adopt practical and meticulous measures for joint pollution prevention and control efforts and for joint emergency response to polluted weather. This will help keep the skies blue and starry nights a regular scene.

 

We will work hard to keep the water clean, continue to ensure protection of water sources, and intensify efforts to check and control sewage discharge outlets into rivers. We will move faster to ensure that no raw or insufficiently treated sewage will be discharged from industrial parks at or above the provincial level. We will improve and enhance the water quality of key river basins and eliminate 60% of black, malodorous bodies of water in the built-up areas of county-level cities. We will promote household sewage treatment in rural areas. This will help build a Fujian model for environmental protection in rivers and lakes with clear water and sound ecosystems.

 

We will work hard to keep our seas clean and strengthen the comprehensive treatment of pollution in key bays. We will accelerate the transformation and upgrading of mariculture, and promote the comprehensive management of outfalls into the sea and sea drifting garbage, so as to keep sea water and seashores clean, and provide a good eco-environment for dolphins and other sea animals.

 

We will work hard to keep our soil pollution-free. We will continue to promote the safe use of polluted arable land, reduced but more efficient use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and the recycling of resources from animal manures and other waste. We will investigate and rectify pollution from heavy metal industry enterprises and improve medical waste disposal capacity. We will develop waste-free cities and treat new pollutants. This will help free farmland from pollution and raise people’s quality of life.

 

Coordinated steps will be taken in protecting and restoring ecosystems. We will maintain harmony between humanity and nature, and protect nature and the environment as we do to our own eyes. We will see that the red line of ecological conservation is not crossed, set the baseline for environmental quality, impose a ceiling on resource consumption, and adopt a negative list of market access with environmental standards. We will take coordinated steps in the improvement and integration as well as the boundary survey and demarcation of the red lines for ecological conservation. We will build Wuyishan National Park to high standards and create a basic space for ecological conservation. We will strengthen the protection of various types of wetlands and support the work to get the Minjiang River estuary wetlands included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. We will consolidate the achievements in the ecological conservation and restoration of the Minjiang River basin and promote the integrated protection and restoration of the Jiulong River. We will strengthen biosecurity management and implement major projects for biodiversity conservation. We will intensify efforts to treat Sporobolus alterniflorus and prevent and control invasive alien species and animal and plant diseases. We will improve the forest structures and physiognomies in key areas, improve the quality of 193,300 hectares of forests, and continue to promote the high-quality development of the bamboo industry. We will step up efforts to build national garden cities, which can offer citizens flower blossoms and green shades all year round.

 

9. Make every effort to maintain safety, security, and stability in the new era

 

We will ensure food and energy security. Both the CPC committee and the government of Fujian Province assume responsibility for arable land protection and food security. We will ensure that the red line of arable land protection is not crossed and maintain progress made in rural water conservancy projects. We will strengthen the development of high-standard cropland and promote the reclamation of abandoned ridge fields in an orderly way. We will grow more grain instead of tea, fruit, and forests to ensure that the area sown to grain is kept at 835,300 hectares or more. We will strengthen scientific, technological, and equipment support for agricultural development, revitalize the seed industry, and further turn Sanming into a Chinese rice seed base and an agricultural biological germplasm bank of our province. We will improve the grain storage infrastructure and accelerate the development of seven provincial grain depots. We will adopt an all-encompassing approach to food as we build a diversified food supply system, promote a balanced supply of vegetables all the year round, keep the breeding sow stock at or above 900,000 and ensure an adequate supply of important agricultural products at stable prices. We will work to conserve food, promote food production, and help reduce losses in the whole process of food processing, trading, consumption, and storage. We will show no tolerance in addressing food and drug safety issues as we intensify efforts to prevent food contamination, make food safe, and improve the drug traceability system. We will improve the energy production, supply, storage, and marketing system and establish a sound energy security emergency response mechanism. We will accelerate the building of coal reserve bases and oil and gas reserve facilities, coordinate the signing of coal, natural gas, and other medium- and long-term contracts, and ensure the supply of electricity.

 

We will ensure workplace safety. We will always keep ourselves on high alert and tighten responsibility for workplace safety. We will strengthen the investigation and rectification of hidden dangers in key areas such as hazardous chemicals, gas, self-build houses, fire, road traffic, water transport, and fishing vessels. We will continue to strengthen supervision and law enforcement, and standardize workplace safety. We will strengthen emergency supplies, teams, and equipment support and launch 100 projects in each of five areas[19] to improve public safety. We will move faster to strengthen the emergency broadcasting system and make good use of the results of the natural disaster risk census. We will become better able to respond to all types of disasters and deal with urgent and difficult tasks. We will effectively respond to natural disasters such as heavy rains, floods, typhoons, drought, and forest fires.

 

We will prevent and defuse major risks. We will combat all kinds of infiltration, sabotage, subversion, and separatist activities and maintain political security, social stability, and peaceful life for the people. We will earnestly implement the ideological work responsibility system, promote China’s underlying values, and spread positive energy. We will forestall systemic risks, prevent and defuse real estate and financial risks, and ensure that government debt risks are controllable. We will prevent the risks arising from new technologies and applications, and maintain security in non-traditional fields such as cyber-security, information security, and data security.

 

We will modernize social governance. We will fully implement the eighth five-year plan (2021-2025) for raising public awareness of the law, deepen judicial-related reforms, and promote law-based governance at all levels and in all areas. We will uphold and develop the Fengqiao Model in the new era, ensure a smooth channel for the people to express their concerns, and strengthen investigation and resolution of public complaints. We will improve the “close neighbor” model for Party building, carry out the national innovation pilot program for the block chain plus smart community, and shift the focus of social governance to the community level. We will adopt a full range of measures to maintain law and order and strengthen the multidimensional and IT-supported smart system for crime prevention and control. We will consistently combat and root out organized crime and severely punish all kinds of illegal and criminal activities resented by the public in accordance with the law. We will protect the legal rights and interests of women and children and promote the comprehensive development of the programs for people with disabilities. We will bring into play the role of trade unions, Communist Youth League organizations, the women’s federations and do the work related to the younger generations and veterans’ sports associations well. We will turn Fujian into the window showcasing the unity and progress of the Chinese nation, and further adapt religious beliefs to the Chinese context. We will better motivate service personnel and their family members through military honors and do more to protect their rights and interests. We will raise public awareness of the importance of national defense, mobilize the people for national defense, promote military-civilian integration, encourage civilian sectors and the military to support each other and jointly promote cultural-ethical progress, and provide good services to veterans. We will support the development of the military units stationed in Fujian, ease the concerns of officers and soldiers regarding demobilization, logistical support, and children’s education, and build on the favorable atmosphere in which the military and the people develop a close bond and unite as one.

 

 

[14] At the Central Economic Work Conference held in December 2022, it was proposed that the proactive fiscal policy should be implemented more effectively; the prudent monetary policy should become more targeted and effective; industrial policy should promote both development and security, science and technology policy should focus on self-reliance; and social policy should ensure that people’s basic living needs are met.

 

[15] Set at the Central Economic Work Conference, they are to better coordinate epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development; effective economic quality improvement and reasonable quantitative growth; supply-side structural reform and expansion of domestic demand; economic policies and other policies; domestic and international circulation; and immediate and long-term interests.

 

[16] Identified at the Central Economic Work Conference, they are expanding domestic demand, accelerating the modernization of the industrial system, implementing the “two unswervinglys”, making greater efforts to attract and utilize foreign capital, and effectively preventing and defusing major economic and financial risks.

 

[17] Defined by Secretary Zhou Zuyi of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee at its the Economic Work Conference in December 2022, they are implementing various initiatives to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic in the new phase; expanding effective demand; ensuring education, science and technology and human resources provide greater support; upgrading and developing the industrial system; advancing rural revitalization and regional coordinated development across the board; deepening reform and opening-up; promoting people’s wellbeing; and preventing and defusing all types of risks.

 

[18] They are to create a Fujian cultural identity system, upgrade key culture industries, boost cultural art, integrate culture and tourism, innovate and upgrade tourist attractions, cultivate the "plus culture and tourism" new industries, boost consumption, grow market entities, launch 230 leading projects (including implementing 30 signed projects, promoting 100 key projects under construction, and launching 100 major investment projects), and digitalize culture and tourism.

 

[19] The five areas are emergency response, rescue force improvement, safety skills upgrading, public awareness of safety, and security demonstration centers.