Core Strength

By Wang Jun

At a workshop in Pingxiang， Jiangxi Province， workers pour resin into models to make wind turbine blades more than 60 meters long. With their special design， they are able to catch the air currents from all directions， turning wind energy into electricity.

“Against the backdrop of low-carbon development， we are confident about our market prospects，” Wen Jingbo， Vice General Manager of the company， a subsidiary of hi-tech giant Sinoma Science and Technology Co. Ltd.， said.

Pingxiang， which once relied heavily on coal and steel， has switched to emerging industries such as equipment manufacturing， electronics and environmental protection. The citys transformation illustrates the way in which central China is pursuing sustainable development as the country moves up the industrial ladder.

New guidelines released by Chinas central authorities in July have named 2025 and 2035 as milestones in the development of the central region. By 2025， the region will achieve breakthroughs in improving the quality， efficiency and driving forces of development， as well as establish an integrated system of science and innovation-based industries. And by 2035， it will have largely realized modernization and made substantial progress toward common prosperity.

“The guidelines also set quantitative targets in innovative， coordinated， green， open and shared development，” Cong Liang， deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission， said at a press conference on September 13.

Huge potential

Covering the provinces of Shanxi， Henan， Anhui， Hubei， Jiangxi and Hunan， the central region has continuously improved its position in Chinas regional development landscape over recent years. According to Cong， during the 13th Five-Year Plan（2016-20） period， its annual GDP growth averaged 8.6 percent， the highest among the countrys four regional divisions， namely east， central， west and northeast. From the third quarter of 2017 to the end of 2019， the central region took the lead in GDP growth for 10 quarters in a row.

In 2020， the central provinces， which account for 10.7 percent of Chinas land area and 25.8 percent of its population， contributed 22 percent to the countrys GDP. In the first half of this year， their GDP combined reached 11.8 trillion yuan （$1.83 trillion）， up 14.7 percent year on year. The growth was 2 percentage points higher than the national average and the highest among the four regions.

“With solid economic foundations， strong momentum and huge potential， the central region is capable of assuming the tasks of fostering high-quality development in the new era，” Cong said.