First Observation | 8 regional development symposiums, a high-quality development article

  On the afternoon of 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.

  Since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the general secretary presided over the eighth symposium focusing on regional development strategy.

  Prior to this, the general secretary has presided over 7 regional development symposiums, covering topics such as promoting the construction of Xiong'an New Area with high standards and high quality, further promoting the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of key ecological projects such as the "Three Norths", promoting the comprehensive revitalization of Northeast China in the new era, further promoting the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, further promoting the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, and promoting the rise of the central region in the new era.

  Connecting the east, the middle and the west, coordinating the north and the south. On the new journey of comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization, General Secretary Xi Jinping has focused on regional development, taken a long-term view, and made a series of new deployments to strengthen the coordination and integration of regional strategies and lead high-quality development with major strategies.

  Global and regional systems view

  The mainland is vast and has a large population, and the natural resource endowments of different regions vary greatly. Coordinated regional development is not only an intrinsic requirement for solving the problem of unbalanced development, but also a key support for promoting high-quality development.

  General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that high-quality development "is not only a requirement for economically developed regions, but a requirement that must be implemented in the development of all regions".

  To promote high-quality development, we must focus on the national "game of chess" and plan the region from the overall situation. Since the beginning of the new era, the mainland has implemented a regional coordinated development strategy, coordinated the promotion of the four major plates of eastern, central, western and northeast regions, and further enhanced the balance of regional plate development.

  On the new journey, the general secretary stressed that common prosperity for all people is the essential feature of Chinese modernization, and coordinated regional development is an inevitable requirement for achieving common prosperity.

  Commonality means that the east should take the lead, but also the development of the west, the revitalization of the northeast, and the rise of the central region. The general secretary has repeatedly emphasized the docking and convergence of regional strategies, promoted regional coordination, and clenched his fingers into a fist.

  The western region plays a pivotal role in the overall situation of reform, development, and stability throughout the country. In view of the promotion of the development of the western region in the new era, the general secretary emphasized that "we should be more active in serving and docking major regional strategies, actively integrate into the construction of a unified national market, innovate the docking mechanism of the open platform in the eastern, central and western regions, and deepen pragmatic cooperation with the eastern, central and northeastern regions".

  At the symposium on promoting the comprehensive revitalization of Northeast China in the new era, the general secretary hoped that Northeast China would "strengthen the docking with major national strategies such as the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the development of the western region, and promote the better integration of Northeast China into the national unified market."

  With great foresight and a strong momentum, the general secretary promoted the formation of a regional economic layout with complementary advantages and high-quality development from the overall strategic situation, and turned the potential energy of the development gap into the kinetic energy of coordinated development.

  The theory of relativity of equilibrium and imbalance

  Coordinated development does not require all regions to "walk in unison". General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that imbalance is universal, and it is necessary to promote relative balance in development.

  This also means that we must respect objective laws, base ourselves on the advantages of regional characteristics, cultivate more growth poles, and form a new power source to drive the high-quality development of the country.

  Since the beginning of the new era, the mainland has deeply implemented major regional strategies, built the three major power sources of high-quality development in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and mapped out the "river strategy" for the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.

  The general secretary pointed out that the major regional development strategy is in line with the needs of the mainland's high-quality development in the new era and is an effective way to promote Chinese-style modernization.

  When it comes to the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the general secretary has high hopes for this major national strategy, emphasizing that "we will continue to promote the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei to a new level, and strive to make Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei a pioneer and demonstration area of Chinese-style modernization."

  To promote the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, the general secretary put forward the 12-word requirements of "exploring the way first, leading the demonstration, and radiating and driving", deployed the "five major tasks" to promote regional integration, and put forward clear requirements for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta and the exploration of new mechanisms and new paths for regional coordinated development, so as to draw a blueprint for the Yangtze River Delta to truly become a regional development community.

  One region leads the whole region, and development promotes balance. Each major regional strategy is like an "engine", injecting a steady stream of impetus into high-quality development.

  The dialectic of protection and development

  "High-level protection is an important support for high-quality development, and high-quality development that prioritizes ecology and is green and low-carbon can only be achieved by relying on high-level protection. "General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly expounded the dialectical unity relationship between protection and development.

  The ecological environmental protection and high-quality development of the Yangtze River Basin are in a critical period from quantitative to qualitative change. At the symposium on further promoting the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the general secretary emphasized that "in the long run, promoting the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt fundamentally depends on the high-quality ecological environment of the Yangtze River Basin", and raised the understanding of "jointly grasping large-scale protection and not engaging in large-scale development" to a new height.

  Practice has proved that protection and development are not contradictory and antagonistic, and joint efforts to protect the Yangtze River have not affected economic development, but have promoted the Yangtze River Economic Belt to embark on a new path of high-quality development.

  The implementation of major strategies such as the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, the large-scale development of the western region, and the comprehensive revitalization of the northeast must also attach importance to and strengthen ecological protection.

  At the symposium on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of key ecological projects such as the "Three Norths", the general secretary stressed that we should adhere to the system concept and solidly promote the integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grasslands and sands. At the symposium on promoting the large-scale development of the western region in the new era, the general secretary also called for "fighting the three landmark battles of the 'Three Norths' project" and "building a solid national ecological security barrier".

  Supporting high-quality development with high-level protection will expand space and cultivate potential for China's economic development, and continue to accumulate development momentum.

  Methodology for seizing opportunities and working for a long time

  On May 10, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Xiong'an New Area, Hebei Province, presided over a symposium on promoting the construction of Xiong'an New Area with high standards and high quality, and delivered an important speech. This is the third time that General Secretary Xi Jinping has come to Xiong'an.

  The general secretary stressed that "the construction of Xiong'an New Area is a millennium plan and a major national event, and we can neither be impetuous nor wait for it, but we must work hard and work for a long time."

  It is necessary not only to have the motivation of "seizing the day", but also to have the tenacity of "working for a long time".

  To promote the regional development strategy, we must seize the opportunity. To promote the development of the western region in the new era, the general secretary emphasized "accelerating the industrial transformation and upgrading of the western region" and "accelerating the construction of a new energy system". In the new era, the comprehensive revitalization of Northeast China was promoted, and the general secretary emphasized "accelerating the modernization of agriculture and rural areas".

  To promote the regional development strategy, we must have the spirit of nailing.

  In the face of the responsible comrades of the three provinces and one municipality in the Yangtze River Delta and the relevant departments and units of the central government, the general secretary pointed out: "As long as we recognize the correct thing, we will continue to work consistently and unremittingly, and we will never give up halfway, never go in the same direction, and never turn back and go backwards." Major strategies such as promoting the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta must be like this, moving forward step by step and moving forward one by one. ”

  In the deployment and implementation of the "Three Norths" project, the general secretary stressed that party committees and governments at all levels should maintain strategic concentration, draw a blueprint to the end, work hard one after another, and persistently promote the construction of key projects such as the "Three Norths" to build a solid ecological security barrier in the northern part of the mainland.

  Focusing on the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, a major regional strategy, the General Secretary presided over four symposiums, three forums focusing on the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and two special forums on the revitalization of Northeast China, the rise of the central region, the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, and the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.

  The general secretary pointed out: If we grasp them one by one, one by one, and continue to grasp them round by round, we will surely achieve success if we work hard for a long time and go deeper step by step.

  Planners: Chen Guojun, Zhang Xudong

  Producers: Zhang Xiaosong, Ju Peng

  Authors: Chen Weiwei, He Zongyu, Li Xiaoting

  Co-ordinator: Liu Dongkai, Wu Jingjing, Zhang Guilin, Zhu Jichai

  Visual|Editors: Jin Xiaoqian, Jia Yining

  Jointly produced by Xinhua News Agency and Chongqing Branch

  Produced by Xinhua News Agency No. 1 Studio