Hu Kaihong:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference. This is one of a series of press conferences for provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government that mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. 

Present at this press conference are: Mr. Ma Xingrui, vice secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Guangdong Provincial Committee and governor of Guangdong province; Mr. Fu Hua, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee and head of the Publicity Department of Guangdong province; and Mr. Zhang Hu, vice governor of Guangdong province. They will speak about Guangdong's reform, opening up and innovation-driven development, and answer some of your questions.

Now I'll give the floor to Mr. Ma.

Ma Xingrui:

Friends from the media, ladies, gentlemen, friends, it's a great pleasure to take this opportunity to brief you on Guangdong's development. First of all, on behalf of the provincial Party committee and provincial government, I want to express sincere gratitude to all of you for your long, enthusiastic attention to Guangdong. 

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China 70 years ago, the country has witnessed radical changes, and achieved remarkable success in its development. Guangdong is a typical example of this change. Following are some highlights of Guangdong's development. 

First, economic development has maintained rapid growth. The provincial GDP increased from 2.03 billion yuan in 1949 to 9.7 trillion yuan in 2018, ranking among the top few across China for nearly 30 years. This year, the figure is estimated to exceed 10 trillion yuan. 

Second, provincial financial power has grown stronger. The revenue in the general public budget (in comparable prices) increased from 320 million yuan in 1950 to 1.2 trillion yuan in 2018, making the province the first in China to have a revenue in the general public budget exceeding 1 trillion yuan. 

Third, the province has continued to enhance opening up to the outside world. In 2018, total imports and exports of the province reached 7.16 trillion yuan, accounting for one-fourth of the national total, and ranking first in the nation for 33 years in a row. A total of US$447 billion in foreign investments were utilized, accounting for more than one-fifth of the national total. 

Fourth, a world-class manufacturing center has been established. There are approximately 47,500 industrial enterprises that have annual revenue of 20 million yuan or more from their main business operations. From traditional to advanced manufacturing, such as electronic information, green petrochemicals, automobiles, intelligent home appliances and robots, Guangdong has established a relatively complete and well-supported modern industrial system. The output of the electronic information industry accounted for 34% of the national total. 

Fifth, both rural and urban development have been significantly enhanced. A comprehensive transportation network has taken shape. Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other major cities in the Pearl River Delta have formed a modern city cluster with an urbanization rate that has reached 70.7%. All counties are connected by expressway, and all cities will soon be connected by bullet train.

Sixth, people's livelihoods have improved continuously. The average life expectancy has been extended to 77.2 years. The revenues of urban and rural residents have increased continually and absolute poverty has been eliminated. More than 2.4 million people previously recognized by the provincial government as living in relative poverty have risen out of poverty. 

You may wonder, how Guangdong is able to achieve such success despite having no special natural resources, with no foundation for development initially. Please allow me to share some of my views on this issue. Our achievements should be attributed to our system, political path, and the introduction of reform and opening up policies.

Since the founding of New China in 1949, the establishment of socialism has created the fundamental political conditions and the institutional foundation for achieving all development and progress in China today. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, Guangdong has carried out socialist transformation smoothly, promoted socialist advancement vigorously, and established a relatively sound system for economic and social development, laying a solid foundation for the province's progress to come.

The introduction of reform and opening up policies in 1978 marked a new awakening and great revolution of the CPC, which propelled the Party into a great innovation from theory to practice, and boosted a tremendous advancement in promoting Socialism with Chinese characteristics. Comrade Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of reform and opening up, chose Guangdong as the pioneer in the campaign after careful consideration. He required us to forge ahead despite all difficulties. The forerunners in the province, with Xi Zhongxun, former secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, as their representative, were dauntless in exploration and innovation. Thanks to their efforts, Guangdong started the glorious journey of leapfrog development. 

Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, the provincial Party committee and provincial government of all sessions have united and led all officials and the general public in Guangdong to establish special economic zones, carry out reform and opening up policies, and promote the development of the market economy. We implemented the central authorities' strategic plan of reform and opening up innovatively, and made great achievements in this area. We have served as a window showing China's progress to the world, as a pilot ground for reform and opening up policies, and as a pacesetter of development in China.

Since the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has demonstrated tremendous political courage and a powerful sense of mission. It has united and led all Party members and all the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in applying a new vision of development, implementing the five-sphere integrated plan and the four-pronged comprehensive strategy. With this, it has prompted historic shifts and achievements in the cause of the Party and the country, and steered socialism with Chinese characteristics into a new era.

Attaching great importance to the development of Guangdong province, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Guangdong in his first inspection trip outside Beijing after the 18th CPC National Congress. He has joined deputies from Guangdong in panel discussions during two sessions of the National People's Congress, paid two visits to Guangdong, attended the signing ceremony of the framework agreement on the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. He has delivered important speeches and gave important instructions on the development of Guangdong, designating it as a leading province in four areas (building institutions for high-quality economic development, developing a modern economy, pursuing opening up on all fronts and creating a social governance model based on collaboration, participation, and common interests), and a window for China to showcase its achievements in reform and opening-up as well as for the international community to observe the progress of the endeavor.

With General Secretary Xi Jinping's requirements in mind, we embarked on a new journey of the reform and opening-up drive, striving to break new ground in the new era. 

First, we made sweeping efforts to strengthen Party leadership and Party building, taking a clear political stand and fostering a healthy political atmosphere of integrity. We worked to ensure that all the officials in Guangdong keep in mind the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, keep aligned, strengthen our confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, resolutely uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping's core position in the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and resolutely uphold the Party Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership.

Second, we took comprehensive steps to deepen reform and opening-up, improve the socialist market economy, enable the government to play a better role and create a more favorable business environment.

Third, the building of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area got off to a good start. The development plan is being fully implemented. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway has come into operation. The bay area is attracting an inflow of talent, capital, technology and enterprises.

Fourth, innovation has become an essential force in driving Guangdong's economic growth. In 2018, Guangdong's R&D spending exceeded 250 billion yuan; its PCT (the Patent Cooperation Treaty) applications accounted for about half of the country's total; and the provincial regional innovation capability has maintained its top place nationwide. Guangdong is home to a large number of world-class enterprises, including Huawei, Tencent, Guangzhou Automobile Group, Gree and Midea.

Fifth, Guangdong's economy has been transitioning to a stage of high-quality development and the province has 45,000 national high-tech enterprises. The value-added of advanced manufacturing accounted for 56.4% of the total of industries above the designated size, and the contribution of the tertiary sector to GDP increased to 58.9%.

Sixth, Guangdong has seen a continuous improvement in its ecological environment, with the PM2.5 concentration falling to 31 mcg/m³. The Pearl River Delta has become China's first national forest city group demonstration zone.

Seventh, we have enhanced our ability to meet people's basic needs. Last year, per capita disposable personal income grew to 35,800 yuan. A provincial management system for aged-care insurance funds has been established. There has been steady progress in the efforts to address the key issues affecting living standards, such as offering easier access to medical and government services.

Eighth, we have improved our capacity to forestall and defuse major risks. With the courage and ability to fight, we have ensured social order and stability.