Shaanxi province shows great progress in pursuit of high-quality development

Shaanxi province is making strides in the nation's pursuit of high-quality development by leveraging technological innovation as a key driver of growth while helping China achieve high-level self-reliance in high technologies sectors, governor of the province said.

Three national-level industrial clusters of aviation, integrated circuit and advanced structural materials have been based in Shaanxi, which is one of the key centers for scientific research in China. A number of high technologies developed in the region, such as superconductivity and ultrahigh voltage transmission, are up to advanced world standard, Zhao Gang, governor of Shaanxi, said in a news conference in Beijing.

The news conference, held by the State Council Information Office, focused on the province's practices in advancing Chinese modernization with breakthroughs in high-quality development.

"The province has embarked on the fast track in pursuing innovation-driven development fueled by innovation," said Zhao, adding that the number of high and new technology enterprises in Shaanxi has reached 16,000 in 2023 from 6,000 in 2020.

Also, the province has been accelerating the development of advanced manufacturing industries, particularly the new energy vehicle industry. Production bases of key parts of new energy vehicles, including battery, electric motor and control system, have been established in Shaanxi. The production of new energy vehicles has seen an average annual increase of 1.6 times in the past three years, he said.

Furthermore, the province has always been developing technologies required by the country's key projects, such as manned space missions, lunar probes and deep-sea missions, so China can be self-reliance in high technologies sector, Zhao added.

As a key stop on both the ancient Silk Road and Silk Road Economic Belt, Shaanxi has further deepened opening up, Zhao said.

The province has established trade ties with more than 200 countries and regions, and foreign trade has been boosted in recent years, especially with countries taking part in the Belt and Road Initiative. Last year, the number of the new energy vehicles exported from Shaanxi increased more than 11.5 times year-on-year.

Also, the number of trips made by China-Europe Railway Express from Shaanxi has increased by an annual average of 12.8 percent in the past three years. In 2023, over 5,300 freight train trips were made, which key indicators including the number of freight services and cargo volume ranking first in the country, he said.

Shaanxi's GDP increased to 3.38 trillion yuan ($466 billion) last year, with an average annual growth rate of 6.4 percent and a notable increase of 2 trillion yuan over the past decade.