There is less than a month left until the end of 2022.
Recently, many provinces have eased COVID-19 prevention and control measures and are vigorously promoting the resumption of production and work.
At the same time, an increasing number of top provincial Party and government officials have begun holding discussions with entrepreneurs and convening economic meetings to analyze the situation and plan for next year’s economic work.
Guangdong Business Leaders Offer Solutions to Tackle Challenges
Guangdong Remains Committed to “Manufacturing as the Mainstay”
On December 5, the “Guangdong Business Leaders and Governor Face-to-Face Consultation Forum” was held in Guangzhou, where Wang Weizhong, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor, engaged in discussions with 13 representatives of Guangdong’s business community.
He urged relevant departments to carefully study and fully incorporate the insightful suggestions put forward by the business representatives, providing policy and institutional safeguards to promote the high-quality development of Guangdong’s manufacturing sector.
It is worth noting that the theme of this symposium was “Promoting High-Quality Development of Manufacturing.”
As a major hub for the private sector and manufacturing, Guangdong remains committed to high-quality development and upholding manufacturing as its cornerstone, striving to make the leap from a major manufacturing province to a manufacturing powerhouse.
From January to October 2022, Guangdong’s industrial enterprises above designated size generated an industrial output value of 3.21 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.0%, maintaining relatively rapid growth despite a high base. Among these, the automotive manufacturing sector continued its recovery trend, with output value growing by 28.4%.
In reality, Guangdong was not always a top performer. Just 40 years ago, it was still an economically underdeveloped agricultural province. Not only did it have a weak industrial foundation and lack natural resources, but it was also geographically distant from traditional political, economic, and cultural centers.
However, Guangdong boasts deep-water ports and is close to Hong Kong. This meant it could quickly integrate into the global trade network.
Of course, the world is not short of coastal regions like Guangdong, but most of them are content to serve as transit hubs and connectors, earning “easy money” and resting on their laurels once they’ve achieved modest prosperity.
But Guangdong is different. It seeks to earn both the easy money and the hard-earned money. Brick by brick, screw by screw, it has single-handedly built itself into the “world’s factory.”
Today, Guangdong has reaped the rewards of staying committed to manufacturing, and the innovative capabilities of its industrial clusters have gained global recognition.
The older generation of giants—Huawei, Midea, and Gree—remain at the forefront of the industry. The middle generation—Tencent, BYD, and DJI—continues to deliver surprises. The new generation—Xpeng Motors, GAC Aion, and Shein—is emerging as prominent leaders in their respective fields.
The old, middle, and young generations—each is capable and resilient. This is the formidable lineup of Guangdong’s manufacturing industrial clusters, and it serves as a model for China’s high-quality economic development.
Stepping on the Gas and Charging Ahead
Zhejiang Continues to Serve as China’s “Model Student”
On December 1, Yuan Jiajun, former Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, conducted research on private enterprises in Hangzhou and presided over a symposium with entrepreneurs on promoting stable and high-quality economic development.
It is reported that Yuan Jiajun visited companies such as Zhejiang Sinopec Technology, Leapmotor, and Firestone Technology. At the subsequent symposium, six entrepreneur representatives delivered speeches.
Yuan Jiajun pointed out that efforts must be made to support enterprises in risk prevention and safe development, guide them in implementing epidemic prevention and control measures, establish mechanisms to prevent and resolve operational risks, ensure workplace safety, and guide capital to play a positive role. Furthermore, the policy and institutional framework to drive a new leap forward in the private economy must be further improved, with legal rights and interests protected in accordance with the law, and costs reduced, burdens eased, and an environment fostered for business growth.
In recent years, Zhejiang has consistently been a model student in economic development.
While some regions were still hesitating, Zhejiang had already stepped on the gas and surged ahead.
On December 4, a delegation comprising officials from the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce and other departments, along with business representatives, traveled to Germany and France to carry out a “double-push” campaign aimed at securing orders and attracting business partners.
This was also the first delegation led by provincial-level commerce officials to travel abroad since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Three years ago, it was Zhejiang that fired the first shot in the battle for economic recovery. For example, the Hangzhou government funded high-speed rail services to bring migrant workers back to work as quickly as possible. Jiashan also pioneered “return-to-work charter flights,” with the government covering the costs to bring employees from Sichuan back to their jobs.
Three years later, Zhejiang continues to lead the nation.
Recently, the leadership of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee underwent significant adjustments. The vision of the newly appointed Provincial Party Secretary Yi Lianhong regarding investment promotion and industrial upgrading will provide new insights for Zhejiang’s development.
The Central Plains Region Gathers Momentum for Rise
Henan’s “Door of Openness” Is Opening Wider
On December 1–2, Lou Yangsheng, Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, presided over a special provincial committee meeting over four half-days to hear reports on the province’s economic development this year, analyze and assess the current situation, and plan for next year’s economic work.
Lou Yangsheng emphasized the need to strengthen a systemic approach, enhance top-level design and overall planning, and coordinate efforts to ensure meticulous implementation across all areas—including economic operations, reform and innovation, transformation and upgrading, expanding openness, financial services, rural revitalization, and improving people’s livelihoods—using breakthroughs in key areas to drive comprehensive progress.
On December 5, Wang Kai, Governor of Henan Province, conducted on-site research in Xuchang to examine the development of key enterprises and the progress of foreign cooperation projects.
During the inspection, Wang Kai spoke with enterprise leaders and representatives of foreign investors, and presided over a symposium to exchange views with responsible officials from Xuchang City and the Urban-Rural Integration Demonstration Zone, as well as enterprise representatives.
Looking back on Henan’s development journey, it can be summarized in two sentences:
Major transportation infrastructure creates major hubs; major hubs drive major logistics; and major logistics foster major industries.
Over 13 years, 5.89 trillion yuan, and 180 industrial clusters.
In particular, the construction of industrial clusters across the province, which began in 2009, has made significant contributions as a strategic breakthrough for the coordinated development of industrialization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization.
For many years, Henan’s total economic output has consistently ranked fifth nationwide, and this year it is expected to surpass 6 trillion yuan, reaching a new milestone.
Under the new development paradigm, central and western regions—as the strategic hinterland of the domestic economic cycle—have further embraced major opportunities to attract industrial relocation and accelerate their own development. Industrial clusters are not only crucial spaces for Henan to implement the “dual circulation” strategy but also key drivers of the province’s high-quality development.
The continued deepening of the “10,000 Officials Assisting 10,000 Enterprises” initiative and the “Three Batches” project construction campaign will drive Henan’s economic development to deliver outstanding results backed by tangible achievements.
Economic Output Surpasses Shanghai
Anhui Demonstrates "Catching Up and Overtaking" Through Substance
On December 1–2, Zheng Zhejie, Secretary of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee, conducted on-site集中办公 as part of the “Optimizing the Business Environment, Stabilizing the Economy” campaign in Huishang District, Bengbu City. He listened face-to-face to the concerns of enterprises, understood their needs, and coordinated solutions to practical problems.
The event was announced three days in advance. Twenty-one reception teams were formed on-site, and a total of 275 enterprises were received.
Zheng Zhaojie listened, took notes, and gained a thorough understanding of the situation. He worked with relevant officials from the province and Bengbu City to discuss and propose solutions on the spot. A ledger was established for each difficulty, issue, and petition raised by the enterprises, ensuring a systematic and closed-loop resolution process.
In the first three quarters of this year, Anhui’s total economic output reached 3370.29 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.3%. Shanghai’s figure for the same period was 3095.665 billion yuan.
This means that Anhui has surpassed Shanghai for three consecutive quarters, with its lead expanding to over 270 billion yuan.
In 2018, Anhui joined the national strategy for the integration of the Yangtze River Delta, standing shoulder to shoulder with the prosperous provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai—a pivotal turning point in Anhui’s rise.
Facing these opportunities, Anhui has taken a more proactive approach.
In an interview, Governor Wang Qingxian revealed that the entire leadership team of the Anhui Provincial Government has been meeting with entrepreneurs almost around the clock. In 2021, they held over 550 meetings with a total of 5,075 people.
Among them, Governor Wang Qingxian alone met with more than 2,000 entrepreneurs—an average of over five business leaders per day.
Today’s Anhui is truly a force to be reckoned with.
Ten percent of the world’s laptops and 20 percent of LCD screens are produced in Anhui; one out of every three computers, four out of every four washing machines, and five out of every five air conditioners in China is made in Anhui; and one out of every five exported cars is manufactured in Anhui…
As an inland province and a major agricultural region with neither abundant resources nor a strategic location, Anhui has staged a remarkable “late starter, early leader” success story.
Going to great lengths to support enterprises
Guizhou’s Digital Economy Embarks on a “New Journey”
On December 2, Li Bingjun, Deputy Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee and Governor, visited Wudang and Yunyan Districts in Guiyang to investigate the operation of the industrial economy and convened a symposium for industrial enterprises across the province.
Representatives from 15 enterprises—including Guizhou Xijiu, Yuneng New Energy, Yunen Investment, Geely Automobile, Huawei Cloud, Chengwei Technology, Qiya Aluminum, Conch Cement, Nanshanpo, and Jianxing Pharmaceutical—delivered speeches, provided updates on their operations, and offered suggestions.
Li Bingjun pointed out that since the beginning of this year, Guizhou’s economy has faced severe shocks from multiple unforeseen factors, with some enterprises encountering difficulties in production and operations. It is essential to widely mobilize resources and strength from across society, make every effort to help enterprises resolve practical challenges, and foster a strong atmosphere of prioritizing industrial development.
Over the past decade, Guiyang has been the provincial capital city with the most significant progress nationwide. Its total economic output surged from 109.679 billion yuan to 431.165 billion yuan, representing a staggering increase of 293.1%.
The rapid advancement of the provincial capital is a microcosm of Guizhou’s all-out efforts to promote high-quality development. Based on recent trends, by 2025, the added value of Guizhou’s digital economy is expected to double, and the combined output value of the three core industrial clusters—data centers, smart terminals, and data applications—each valued at over 100 billion yuan, is projected to exceed 350 billion yuan.
The sudden spotlight on the “big data center” may be too dazzling, making it easy to overlook Guizhou’s efforts. The results of the “2021 Business Environment Survey of 10,000 Private Enterprises” show that Guizhou’s ranking rose by three places year-on-year, and private enterprises’ satisfaction with the business environment has increased for three consecutive years.
As an inland open economy pilot zone, Guizhou continues to deepen its all-round, multi-sector, and in-depth opening-up. It not only attracts foreign investment with high quality but also promotes a group of outstanding enterprises to “go global” and participate in the global economic division of labor.
Objectively speaking, Guizhou has not been dealt the best hand. But no matter what cards it is dealt, Guizhou is striving to play them well.
On December 6, the meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee called for “promoting an overall improvement in economic performance,” requiring that “we must insist on taking concrete actions, stimulate the vitality of the whole society to engage in work and entrepreneurship, and enable officials to dare to act, localities to dare to pioneer, enterprises to dare to take initiative, and the public to dare to innovate.”
This sends two clear signals to society:
First, development; second, innovation and reform.
We must place greater emphasis on economic development and guide society as a whole to focus its energy on entrepreneurship and high-quality development.
Ultimately, the drive for high-quality development relies on market entities.
Recently, top Party and government officials across the country have placed great emphasis on visiting enterprises through forums and other formats to address their concerns and resolve their difficulties before convening meetings and deploying work.
This coordinated effort is of critical importance.
