Anhui continues to achieve development milestones

Anhui province has benefited greatly from and will steadfastly advance high-level opening-up, while continuously enhancing the level of development of its open economy, the province's top official said.

"We have continuously innovated the paths of opening-up, enriched the platforms and enhanced the capacity for opening-up," said Liang Yanshun, secretary of the Communist Party of China Anhui Provincial Committee and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

The inland province in East China, with a population comparable to that of France and an area similar to that of Tajikistan, has achieved a series of significant development milestones in the past year and over the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period.

Statistics show that Anhui's gross domestic product grew 5.5 percent year-on-year in 2025, reaching 5.3 trillion yuan ($769.1 billion), surpassing the size of Argentina's economy.

President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, has made three inspection tours to Anhui since 2016, with the latest being in October 2024.

Liang said that President Xi provided important guidance and outlined practical pathways for steadfastly advancing high-level opening-up, taking into consideration domestic and international contexts.

Over the past five years, the province's international goods trade has grown by an average of 13.2 percent annually, surpassing 1 trillion yuan in 2025.

Last year, Anhui's trade volumes with its largest and second largest foreign trading partners — the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union — increased 38.3 percent and 21.6 percent, respectively.

"Anhui has persistently promoted the integration of industry and trade, vigorously explored new markets, and developed new business models, achieving record highs in foreign trade," Liang said.

In 2025, the province imported over 330 billion yuan worth of high-quality consumer goods, advanced technology and equipment, and energy resources from more than 160 countries and regions.

By the end of 2025, Anhui had exported 1 million complete vehicles, the highest among all provincial-level regions, and its industrial robot exports ranked second nationwide.

Though Anhui is an inland province, the Yangtze River flows through its south on its way to the ocean, and the Huaihe River flows through the province's north. In September 2023, the Yangtze-Huaihe Grand Canal, connecting the two major rivers, became fully navigable.

According to Liang, the province's waterway freight volume has been the highest in the country for years.

An annual business environment evaluation organized by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce ranked Anhui's market, innovation, rule of law and government services environments among the top three nationwide in 2025.

Volkswagen Group continues to expand its research and development system in China, establishing its first R&D center outside Germany in Hefei, the capital of Anhui, which has full vehicle platform development capabilities. The center began operations in 2024, cutting vehicle development cycles by about 30 percent.

Last year, Anhui's actual use of foreign direct investment reached 15.33 billion yuan, marking a year-on-year increase of 23.9 percent, the fastest growth rate in the country.

The province's actual outbound investment in 2025 was $3.05 billion, up 17.5 percent year-on-year. A total of 268 Anhui-based entities invested in 48 countries and regions, including in Antigua and Barbuda for the first time.

The provincial authorities supported Anhui's leading enterprises in participating in major infrastructure projects such as the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Indonesia and the Constantine Housing Project in Algeria, injecting new momentum into improving local livelihoods and accelerating development.

Liang said the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period is a critical time for Anhui to consolidate its foundation, make comprehensive efforts, strive for excellence and catch up with determination.

"Opening-up is a distinctive feature of Chinese modernization, and it will surely inject strong momentum into writing the Anhui chapter of Chinese modernization," he said.