As spring approaches, the new year begins. On the occasion of bidding farewell to the old year and ushering in the new, I wish to extend, on behalf of the People’s Government of Shandong Province and over 100 million people across the province, my warm greetings and New Year wishes to our fellow countrymen and women in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and around the world and friends from all walks of life who have supported Shandong’s development.
The past year has been a year of exceptional significance in the history of the Party and our country. It has also been truly momentous and extraordinary for the development of Shandong.
In the past year, we kept to our goals and forged ahead. The 20th National Congress of the CPC was successfully convened, drawing up a blueprint for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through the Chinese path to modernization. We studied and implemented the guiding principles of the Congress, put into practice the major instructions made by General Secretary Xi Jinping on the work of Shandong, focused on taking the lead and opening up new prospects, adopted the six-pronged approach with six priorities and twelve key tasks, advanced the building of a great modern socialist province in the new era, expressed strong support to establishing Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, upheld General Secretary Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and upheld the Party Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership with concrete actions. With the support of the General Secretary and the Party Central Committee, the State Council issued Opinions on Supporting Shandong in Enhancing the Transformation of Old and New Growth Drivers and Promoting Green, Low-carbon and High-quality Development, entrusting Shandong with a glorious mission of building the pilot zone of green, low-carbon and high-quality development. It is our major responsibility and set goal to ensure the success of the pilot zone, and we have full confidence.
In the past year, we worked in unity to fight the pandemic and overcome challenges. We put the people and their lives first, took coordinated steps in response to daunting difficulties, and fine-tuned our response measures, making tremendous achievements in pandemic response. Entering a new stage, we worked to keep pace, control the process, flatten the curve, delay the peak of COVID-19 cases, focus on protecting people's health, prevent severe cases, and improve the capacity of medical services. 257 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Shandong, and 95.72% of the population aged 60 and above has been vaccinated, ranking first in China. This has protected people's life and health to the greatest extent possible. In this arduous battle, the people of Shandong valued friendship and helped each other. Medical professionals worked hard with great dedication. The glimmer of kindness and love created the warm flame in winter. We will get through the cold winter and embrace the coming of spring.
In the past year, we shouldered heavy responsibilities and focused on development. Shandong, as an economic powerhouse, effectively coordinated COVID-19 response and economic and social development, promoted three ten-action plans with a priority on expanding demand and stabilizing growth, and sustained the good momentum of economic stability and progress, contributing to maintaining stable economic performance across the country and making the grade in responding to the unprecedented test. On quantity, the growth rate of major indicators, such as industry, investment and foreign trade, outpaced that of the whole country and led the way among the major economic provinces. The total grain output reached 55.438 billion kilograms, and the number of market entities surpassed 14 million. On quality, breakthroughs were made in replacing old growth drivers with new ones. The added value of new technologies, new industries and new forms and models of business as a share of the economy increased by more than 10%, and the number of high-tech enterprises hit 26,000. The length of expressways open to traffic exceeded 8,000 kilometers, the in-operation high-speed railways reached 2,446 kilometers, and the throughput of coastal ports registered 1.75 billion tons, ranking first in China. A well-established transport system has been put into place in Shandong.
In the past year, we boosted reform and innovation, and pursued advancement. We leveraged reform and innovation, continued deepening reform in key areas, carried out the action of improving the business environment through innovation, and provided digitalized government services. The overall business environment and government services ranked among the top in China, and Shandong has been one of the top ten provinces with the best business environment for three years in a row. The province has been committed to exploring new ground in 10 areas. Approvals were given to Shandong to build Laoshan Laboratory and National Virtual Reality Innovation Center. The number of national-level corporate technology centers reached 193, ranking first in China. The number of small and medium sci-tech enterprises included in the national list exceeded 35,000. Shandong had a talent pool of over 15 million. The province is full of new vitality and innovation momentum.
In the past year, we put people front and center and ensured a happy life for all. We acted on the people-centered development philosophy, worked hard to resolve the pressing difficulties and problems that concerned people most, made solid progress in improving people's livelihood, enhanced people’s wellbeing, and promoted common prosperity. Around 80% of the government budget was spent on ensuring standards of living. 20 programs related to people's wellbeing were implemented. Over 1.15 million new urban jobs and 643,000 public welfare jobs in urban and rural areas were created. Social assistance benefits increased by another 10%. We continued to improve air quality, and the proportion of lakes and rivers graded Class I to III under state control exceeded 80% for the first time. With a beautiful environment, people enjoy a better life.
One cannot appreciate the difficulty except through personal experience. Looking back on the past year, no step was easy, every day of hard work was remarkable, and the achievement should be cherished. The accomplishment was made possible with the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the sound guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the direction set by General Secretary Xi Jinping for Shandong, the leadership of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee, and the dedication of the people across the province. We also owe what we have achieved to the support from friends both at home and abroad and people from various sectors. Here, I would like to extend to you my sincere appreciation.
Looking back at the past drives us to pursue a better future. The year 2023 is the first year for us to implement the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the CPC and build the pilot zone of green, low-carbon and high-quality development. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Shandong will implement the guiding principles of the Congress, carry out the instructions made by General Secretary Xi Jinping on the work of Shandong, act on the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, and strive to take the lead and open up new prospects. Through building the pilot zone of green, low-carbon and high-quality development, we will follow across the board the requirements of stronger coordination in six areas, coordinate pandemic response and economic and social development, strike a balance between development and safety, boost market confidence, promote economic stability and progress, improve people's quality of life, maintain social harmony and stability, and take solid steps in making Shandong's contribution to Chinese modernization.
Openness and cooperation prevail in today's world. They are also the distinctive features of China and the pursuit of Shandong. We will bear in mind the expectations of General Secretary Xi Jinping and make full use of such high-level platforms as the pilot zone of green, low-carbon and high-quality development, the China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the demonstration zone for China-SCO local economic and trade cooperation, and the national strategy of Ecological Protection and High-Quality Development of the Yellow River Basin to facilitate connectivity in markets, industries, innovation, and rules, breaking new grounds in promoting international exchanges, sharing opportunities of Shandong with the world, and creating a better future together. We sincerely invite friends from home and abroad to visit Shandong, appreciate the profound cultural heritage of the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, explore the charm of our lush mountains and blue ocean, experience our cultural traits of broad-mindedness, openness and inclusiveness, and vitality, and enjoy the hospitality of Friendly and Remarkable Shandong. With great sincerity, practical measures, and sound services, Shandong will create a good environment for talents and guests from all over the world to undertake innovations, start businesses, make investments, and lead a happy and prosperous life in the province.
As an old Chinese poem goes, "What shall I say of the Great Peak? The ancient dukedoms are green everywhere." The land of Qi and Lu States, with its rich culture, is full of vigor and hope. Let's join hands, with everyone's insights and hard work, for a vibrant spring and a better Shandong.
I wish you a happy new year, good health and all the best.
Source：OPENINGS
