On the afternoon of March 5, General Secretary Xi Jinping attended the deliberation of the Jiangsu delegation at the Third Session of the 14th National People's Congress where he was and delivered an important speech emphasizing that the economic province must take the lead in achieving the "14th Five-Year Plan" development goals. Jiangsu must grasp the focus of taking the lead, take the lead in promoting the integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, strive to be the first in promoting deep-level reform and high-level opening up, take the lead in implementing major national development strategies, and set an example in promoting common prosperity for all people.

It is imperative to take the lead and the economy is a major province.

The high levels of industrialization, informatization, marketization and urbanization are prominent features of major economic provinces. This makes it easier for economic provinces to attract high-quality enterprises and incubate high-quality enterprises, thus having a higher degree of economic resistance to stress. It can be said that major economic provinces are the "ballast stone" to stabilize the basic economic situation of the country.

In 2024, ten provinces including Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Henan, Hubei, Fujian, Shanghai, Hunan, etc. will account for nearly 20% of the country's GDP, contributing more than 60% of the country's GDP. From the perspective of economic growth rate, 7 of the top ten provinces outperformed the national growth rate by 5%, among which Jiangsu and Hubei had an economic growth of 5.8%, ranking first; from the perspective of total economic output, in 2024, the GDP of the top ten provinces exceeded 5 trillion yuan, with a cumulative GDP of more than 82 trillion yuan. In addition, among the top ten provinces, 8 provinces have a growth rate of industrial added value above the scale of 5.8% higher than the national growth rate, highlighting the important role of manufacturing as the "cornerstone" of economic development.

To take the lead, you must find the right focus.

Behind the outstanding results of economic provinces, scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation are inseparable from the blessing of the first, second and third industries. The real economy with manufacturing as the core is a concentrated reflection of social productivity, and to achieve Chinese-style modernization, we must accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system supported by the real economy. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation are the basic paths to develop new quality productivity. The industrial foundation of economic provinces is relatively strong, and advantageous industrial resources play a key role. Recently, Hangzhou’s “Six Little Dragons” have been hotly discussed by the society, revealing this truth: local economic development must be based on its own characteristics, find the advantages of industrial development, and work hard on key areas.

To focus on scientific and technological innovation, we must focus on building a modern industrial system; to focus on industrial innovation, we must firmly adhere to the foundation of the real economy. In Suzhou, Jiangsu, a technician clicked a few times on the tablet computer. The automated precision assembly robot immediately became busy. It took less than 1 minute to grab the small roll to accurately positioning the plate. The whole journey was less than 1 minute; in Qionglai, Sichuan, a new farmer born in the 1995 used unmanned vehicles to automatically plan the route and fertilize the fruits on his farm, used infrared spectrometers to do "CT" of the fruits, and used an AI sorter to quickly sort the fruits... Why is Jiangsu's manufacturing industry so capable? Why is Sichuan agriculture so "bashi"? It is because education, science and technology and talents work together to produce more scientific and technological achievements, and to transform scientific and technological achievements into real productivity. At the same time, it can also promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and open up strategic emerging industries and new future industrial tracks, so that scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation can be integrated and developed, and that the innovation chain and industrial chain can be seamlessly connected.

To take the lead, you must take the initiative and coordinate and work together.

As the saying goes, a train runs fast all by the locomotive. Major economic provinces are the "pillar" that support high-quality development and should have greater responsibilities in implementing major national development strategies. The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reforms and Promoting Chinese-style Modernization" proposes: "Improve the regional integrated development mechanism and build a new mechanism for cross-administrative regions cooperative development." In recent years, major regional strategies such as coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin have achieved remarkable achievements. Major economic provinces such as Jiangsu, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Henan are the "leaders" of these major regional strategies, which have led other provinces in the region to work together to modernize.

In 2024, the GDP of the Yangtze River Economic Belt exceeded 63 trillion yuan, accounting for nearly 50% of the country's share; the total economic output of the Greater Bay Area exceeded 14 trillion yuan, and with less than 0.6% of the country's land area, it created 1/9 of the country's total economic output; the GDP of the Yangtze River Delta region was more than 33 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.5%... Not only did it develop faster, it also had to drive others to step bigger. This is the attitude of taking the lead and taking the lead! All major economic provinces must strengthen the docking with strategies such as coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, deeply integrate into the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road", do a good job in counterpart assistance to Tibet and Xinjiang, and actively explore experience and play a demonstration and leading role in promoting common prosperity for all people.

Confidence gathers strength and work hard to write a brilliant chapter. This year is the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan, and there is a long way to go to reform. We must closely unite around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 20th Central Committee, follow the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, grasp the primary task of high-quality development, complete the goals and tasks of the "14th Five-Year Plan" with high quality, and lay a solid foundation for achieving a good start to the "15th Five-Year Plan".

(Author: Guangming Daily Commentator)