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E-mail China.org.cn, April 3, 2024
Hong Kong Bauhinia Magazine:
The CPC Central Committee has entrusted Zhejiang with an important mission to build a demonstration zone for common prosperity through high-quality development. What measures has the province taken in recent years to advance common prosperity and promote coordinated urban-rural and regional development? Thank you.
Du Xuliang:
Thank you for your question. In recent years, we have made high-quality development our main task, focused on narrowing the "three major gaps," taken reform and innovation as our fundamental driving force, and aimed to satisfy the people's demand for a better life. We have taken down-to-earth and well-targeted steps and yielded solid results in the building of a demonstration zone. I think this work can be summarized in three sentences:
The first sentence is about narrowing the regional gap and putting mountain and sea areas on a journey toward common prosperity. For Zhejiang, the key and the challenge in achieving common prosperity lie in the counties located in mountainous areas and islands. We have formulated a "one county, one policy" approach to promote a path of shared prosperity with distinctive characteristics for mountainous and island counties. For example, Jingning county in the city of Lishui, Zhejiang province, is the only She autonomous county in the country. We have supported local governments in developing specialty brands such as tea leaves and green agricultural products, to create a model of high-quality public services in mountainous counties, helping the local people share in the prosperity. Similarly, Shengsi county, the island county in Zhejiang furthest from the mainland, has focused on resources such as fishing, ports and tourism, creating a model for the development of island counties. In the past two years, the major economic indicators and the income growth rate of residents in Zhejiang's mountainous and island counties have both been higher than the provincial average.
The second sentence is about narrowing the urban-rural gap and helping cities and villages thrive on their own conditions. We have promoted the integrated development of urban and rural areas, and tried to ensure all residents enjoy a happy life. In Zhejiang, with village and residential committees as the core, people can access public services such as medical care, elderly care, and education within a 15-minute walk in cities or a 15-minute ride in the countryside. More than 90% of villages in the province have completed the "Beautiful Village in the New Era" program. The goal of developing the economy while preserving the rural environment is gradually becoming a reality.
The third sentence is about narrowing the income gap and striving to expand employment. We have ramped up efforts to expand the middle-income group and raise the income of the low-income group. We also launched the "Employment and Entrepreneurship in Zhejiang" program, and made more efforts to increase the incomes of people on low incomes. For instance, we have actively promoted the "shared prosperity workshops" and guided eligible enterprises to establish production and processing lines in rural areas, making it convenient for more people, and especially the low-income group, to find jobs locally. At present, the province has built over 10,000 "shared prosperity workshops," creating nearly 500,000 jobs, with average monthly incomes rising by around 2,600 yuan per person.
Promoting common prosperity is a long-term task. We will continue to step up our efforts to make the economic pie bigger and divide it well, and also make sure that more successful practices can be replicated in other parts of China.
That is all from me. Thank you.
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