Opening-up plans and environmental restoration assist efforts in rejuvenating old industrial bases

Northeast China's Jilin province has outlined a five-year development plan that will boost its real economy via opening-up and cooperating with innovation-driven business sectors, improve its residents' quality of life, and restore the environment.

Jing Junhai, governor of Jilin province, said: "Jilin will make comprehensive progress in economic, cultural, social and environmental undertakings, and we should make sure that all residents can benefit from the progress made."

He made the remarks during the first session of the 13th People's Congress of Jilin, which was held at the end of January.

Jing said Jilin will continue to optimize its industrial structure, and the government will continuously promote the development of new and high-tech sectors including remote sensing satellites, new energy resources and new materials.

The national Internet-Plus strategy and other high-tech projects will be used to upgrade the province's traditional industries.

"Innovation has become the major driving force for Jilin's economic growth," Jing said.

In the next five years, the local government will strengthen cooperation with innovative companies, universities, research institutions and high-tech zones throughout the country, and take part in the nation's major innovative projects to promote the commercialization and application of technology research results.

The province plans to build industrial cooperation parks and cross-border economic cooperation zones to enhance collaboration with other regions and countries.

These regional cooperation zones include the Changchun-Siping economic belt and Baishan-Tonghua-Dandong economic belt, involving cities in Jilin and Liaoning provinces as well as the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Jilin also plans to open a new ecological and economic cooperation zone involving Baicheng in Jilin province, Qiqihar in Heilongjiang province and Hinggan League in Inner Mongolia.

Balanced growth

Jing said the province will better coordinate the development of its central, eastern and western regions, and strengthen the integration of its urban and rural areas through a new urbanization strategy.

According to the governor, Jilin's GDP in 2020 is expected to double the figure in 2010. By that time a coordinated regional development mechanism will have been formed and Jilin's opening-up further promoted.

"In the next five years, Jilin aims to improve people's living conditions and help all impoverished people and villages to rid themselves of poverty," Jing said.

Jilin will make efforts to help more residents to find jobs, and improve its social welfare system and public services to strengthen people's sense of fulfillment, happiness and security.

From 2018 to 2022, Jilin will continue to improve its infrastructure facilities to support economic and social development.

There will be more highways, railways, and air routes to better serve residents' travel needs.

The Jilin provincial government has put forward the concepts of a Safe Jilin, Honest Jilin and Beautiful Jilin.

As part of this program, the province will promote sound social behavior, establish a personal and corporate credit management system and improve its social governance.

With the establishment of more recycling and pollution reducing facilities, Jilin will enhance the local environmental protection efforts to ensure residents enjoy more blue skies and cleaner waters.

In addition, Jilin will launch ecological restoration projects to protect and improve the local ecosystem, including the forests in its east, black soil zones in its central regions and the grasslands and wetlands in its west.

Jilin has set a goal to increase its forest coverage to 45 percent in the next five years, according to Jing.

The governor said Jilin will not allow projects with high pollution and energy consumption to operate.

"Jilin will implement the strictest environmental protection system to improve its environment during the next five years," Jing said.

caoyingying@chinadaily.com.cn

A Long March 6 carrier rocket sends three Jilin-1 satellites for high-resolution remote sensing to orbit in November 2017.Photos Provided To China Daily

A technician tests photoelectric products at one of the high-tech companies in Changchun high-tech zone.Photos Provided To China Daily

(China Daily 03/06/2018 page10)