Henan braces for difficult 'exams'

Province looks to modernize its agriculture industry in pursuit of high-quality development, rural vitalization

Editor's note: This year, the Communist Party of China is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding. China Daily is publishing a series of stories looking at the tremendous changes that have occurred in provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities under the leadership of the Party. They also include stories of the people and places that have left indelible marks in the Party's path to glory.

For the Party and the government, planning and seeking development is like taking an exam given by the people. Only by solving the people's problems can the Party and the government win their trust and do their jobs well.

With civil servants and members of the Communist Party of China bearing that in mind, Henan province has made new achievements while pursuing high-quality development.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period: the province's GDP exceeded 5 trillion yuan ($766 billion), and its GDP per person hit more than $8,000; the industries' and service sectors' share in the provincial economy surpassed 83 percent; Henan's economic structure became more optimal; and for the first time in history, the traditionally agricultural province saw more of its people living in cities rather than in the countryside－the urbanization rate of the province was about 54.2 percent by last year, compared with 50.16 percent in 2017.

Henan will deepen the reform of the household registration system, equalize basic public services and create more jobs so that newcomers in cities can live and work in peace and contentment.

The province now attaches great significance to rural vitalization in the hope that it can be transformed from a big agricultural province to a model of modern agriculture. In an effort to ensure food security, Henan will promote the modernization of its agricultural industry and rural areas.

Over the past five years, Henan has been transformed from a hinterland to a highland on China's economic map, coming to the forefront of the country's opening-up endeavors.

The province is promoting integrated development among cities, which is necessary to help small and medium-sized cities to grow into big ones and is a practical move for regional coordinated development.

In 2019, the proportion of the service sector in Henan exceeded that of the industries for the first time, marking a fundamental change in the province's economic structure.

Henan aims to develop into a province that is strong in economy, culture, ecology and opening-up by 2035. Despite the achievements it has made, local Party members and civil servants say there is still a lot of work to be done, and they are preparing for the exams of the times.

Henan has made full use of its industrial base advantages, coordinated the transformation of traditional industries and the cultivation of emerging industries and vigorously developed advanced manufacturing. Industrial enterprises in the province are upgrading to be more intelligent and green so that they can become models of high-quality development.

Covering an area twice the size of Austria, and with a population of more than 99 million people, Henan is one of the most populous provinces in China and has the fifth-largest provincial economy. Some people compare Henan's economic restructuring and industrial upgrading to a fully loaded, heavy-duty truck trying to maintain its speed safely while taking a turn.

This year marks the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period. Henan has set its growth target for this year to exceed 7 percent. Further, the growth of the added value of enterprises with an annual turnover of more than 20 million yuan should be around 7 percent, the growth of total retail sales of consumer goods should be more than 8 percent, the urbanization ratio should increase by 1.3 percentage points and the grain output should remain above 65 billion kilograms.

Henan also aims to make greater progress in protecting its natural environment, treating pollution and accelerating the construction of the ecological corridor along the section of the Yellow River in the province.

None of the objectives is easy to realize. While many provinces are lowering their development indexes, Henan is raising them, showing its determination to motivate itself to expedite matters.

There is no doubt that the exams for the province will become more difficult this year. In the future, according to the CPC Henan Committee, such self-motivation will become the new normal, and the exams will be even more difficult as new challenges arise.

Henan is dedicated to implementing new development concepts in new development stages to create new development paradigms.

To make that happen, Henan should gain a clearer knowledge of itself and thus better understand its future development direction. The province must ensure the Party occupies the position of the core leadership, balances both the domestic and international circulation development paradigms and serves the people to become a model of growth in the country.

Looking ahead to 2035, the province will move forward with great strides to realize high-quality development, becoming strong in economy, culture ecology and opening-up, as well as a beacon of innovation and happiness.

Luan Shan contributed to this story.