The State Council, China's Cabinet, recently approved the plan for three cities-Taiyuan in North China's Shanxi province, Guilin in Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province, to set up innovation demonstration areas.
A total of 15 cities applied via their provincial-level governments to be innovation demonstration areas, and three have been selected because they represent three typical kinds of cities: a tourism city, developed city and resource-based city.
The demonstration areas will concentrate on sustainable development to realize the nation's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and each of the three cities has a plan with its own characteristics. Guilin, famous for its beautiful natural scenery, will combine tourism with environmental protection to boost local growth. Shenzhen, the city that was the pioneer for China's reform and opening-up 40 years ago and which is now known for its high-tech industry, will boost innovation so as to take the lead in global competition.
In Taiyuan, capital of coal-producing Shanxi province, the key job is to turn the economy to an innovation-driven mode and make its growth greener.