Strive to write a new chapter of high-quality development in the new era
"We will strive to make new breakthroughs in promoting the transformation of economic development mode and industrial structure adjustment, strive to continuously achieve new results in promoting agricultural modernization, strive to continuously make new progress in ensuring and improving people's livelihood, and strive to achieve new results in ecological civilization construction, so that Hubei's economy will be better, with better structure, higher quality, more stamina and stronger strength." In July 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping placed high hopes on the cadres and masses of Hubei when he visited Hubei.
In May 2020, when attending the deliberation of the Hubei delegation at the Third Session of the 13th National People's Congress, in front of the representatives of more than 61 million people from Jingchu who won the battle to defend Wuhan and Hubei, General Secretary Xi Jinping made an important and inspiring speech: "The long-term positive fundamentals of Hubei's economy have not changed, the comprehensive advantages accumulated over the years have not changed, and its important position in national and regional development has not changed."
From fields to urban and rural communities, from ports and docks to science and technology parks... Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has visited Hubei four times, drawing a blueprint and guiding the direction for Hubei's reform and development, and providing a fundamental guideline for doing a good job in Hubei's work in the new era.
Walking in the land of Jingchu, you can see vitality everywhere. Hubei cadres and the masses keep in mind the earnest instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, adhere to the general tone of work of seeking progress while maintaining stability, stand on the new development stage, fully, accurately and comprehensively implement the new development concept, actively build a new development pattern, carry forward the great anti-epidemic spirit, take the initiative and work hard, and strive to promote post-epidemic recovery and high-quality economic and social development, accelerate the construction of an important strategic fulcrum for the rise of the central region, strive to be at the forefront of China in transforming the economic development mode, and strive to write a new chapter of high-quality development in Hubei in the new era.
Focus on making new breakthroughs in "transforming the mode" and "adjusting the structure"
Wuhan East Lake High-tech Zone-"China Optics Valley", a hotbed of innovation and entrepreneurship, is China's second national independent innovation demonstration zone. In July 2013 and April 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping came here twice to learn about the construction of the demonstration zone and the innovation and development of enterprises.
On April 26, 2018, during an inspection at FiberHome Technology Group, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that China has become the world's second largest economy. The past way of relying mainly on resource input to drive economic growth is no longer feasible, and innovation must be relied on. Enterprises must continuously achieve breakthroughs in core technologies, master more key technologies with independent intellectual property rights, and take control of the leading role in industrial development.
Zeng Jun, Party Secretary and President of FiberHome Communications Technology Co., Ltd., recalled the situation at the time and said, "The General Secretary came to the company's exhibition hall to inspect the chips, optical fibers and other products independently developed by FiberHome, and learned about the product performance, localization rate and other conditions. He earnestly told us that core technologies with independent intellectual property rights are the "lifeline" of the company."
In order to overcome key technical difficulties, FiberHome has continuously increased its R&D investment over the past four years. At the end of last year, it successfully developed China's first 400G coherent commercial silicon photonics transceiver chip, which is currently one of the most integrated commercial silicon photonics integrated chips in the world. In 2021, the export contract value of FiberHome Communications increased by 49% year-on-year.
On the afternoon of April 24, 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to the dam area of the Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River, the world's largest water conservancy hub, to inspect the Three Gorges Project and the ecological environment around the dam area. "The General Secretary told us that the real great power equipment must be in our own hands. Core technology and key technology cannot be obtained by begging, but by our own hard work." Zhang Xiaoyu, director of the Three Gorges Power Station Operation Department, said that since the 13th Five-Year Plan, the Three Gorges Group has organized and implemented 58 major scientific and technological research projects and mastered key technologies such as intelligent dam construction, special maintenance robots for hydropower stations, and smart water systems.
In recent years, Hubei has closely relied on innovation-driven to accelerate the transformation of economic development mode and industrial structure adjustment, and has made every effort to build a science and technology innovation center with Chinese influence in Wuhan, and accelerate the construction of the Optics Valley Science and Technology Innovation Corridor with East Lake Science City as the core area. In 2021, the province added 4,100 new high-tech enterprises, and the added value of high-tech manufacturing increased by 30.2%.
Walking into the production workshop of Wuhan Heavy Machine Tool Group Co., Ltd. of China North Industries Group Corporation, the machines roared and the wheel tables of the super-heavy CNC boring and milling machines rotated rapidly. On July 21, 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping said during his inspection here that industry is the foundation of our country. We must vigorously carry forward the spirit of self-reliance, develop and produce our own brand products, form our own core competitiveness, and promote national prosperity. The working class must shoulder this historical responsibility!
Wuhan Heavy Machinery Group is one of the 156 key projects during the "First Five-Year Plan" period and is a "time-honored brand" in China's machine tool industry. In 2013, the company's operations were facing a loss dilemma. "The important instructions of the General Secretary pointed out the direction of development for us." Du Zhuoyu, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Wuhan Heavy Machinery Group, said that the company has continuously improved the incentive mechanism for the distribution of scientific and technological achievements, and has independently developed a number of products with independent intellectual property rights, such as super-heavy high-end CNC horizontal boring and lathes and CNC gantry mobile multi-spindle drilling machines, and obtained 207 national patents. In 2016, Wuhan Heavy Industry turned losses into profits, and the amount of newly signed orders has increased by an average of 16% per year in recent years. In the first quarter of this year, Wuhan Heavy Industry achieved sales revenue of 350 million yuan.
Over the past 10 years, Hubei has successively promoted a series of scientific research system reforms, such as the "Ten Articles on Science and Technology", the "New Nine Articles", and the empowerment of scientific researchers, raising the proportion of scientific and technological personnel's income in the transformation of results to a minimum of 70% and a maximum of 99%, and accelerating the transformation of scientific research advantages into development advantages. From 2017 to 2021, the province's technical contract turnover increased by 98.1%.
Yangtze Optical Fiber and Cable Co., Ltd. is a witness to the transformation of scientific research advantages into development advantages. Here, a 6-meter-long, 23-centimeter-diameter teardrop-shaped optical fiber preform can be drawn into an optical fiber as thick as a hair in just 1 second.
"We keep in mind the instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and unswervingly follow the path of independent innovation with Chinese characteristics." Zhuang Dan, president of Yangtze Optical Fiber and Cable Co., Ltd., said that in the past 9 years, the drawing length of a single optical fiber preform of Yangtze has been extended from 7,000 kilometers to 10,000 kilometers, and its technology leads the world.
Depending on innovation, the GDP of Hubei Province grew by 6.7% year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, a growth rate higher than the national average. From January to April, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size in the province grew by 8.6% year-on-year, ranking among the top industrial provinces in China.
Strive to achieve new results in promoting agricultural modernization
Walking into the rice breeding base in Donggang Village, Echeng District, Ezhou City, rows of green seedlings are neatly connected. Looking closer, each cluster of seedlings has different colors and shapes. This is the experimental field of the State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice (Wuhan University).
On the afternoon of July 22, 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping braved the scorching heat to visit here to check the growth of rice and learn about the cultivation and promotion of new rice varieties.
"The arrival of the General Secretary inspires us to keep moving forward on the road of scientific research and contribute to national food security." said Zhang Zhihong, professor of the School of Life Sciences, Wuhan University. The hybrid rice research team of Wuhan University has improved rice genes and optimized cultivation techniques. The breeding base has bred more than 30 new varieties, among which the red lotus hybrid rice has good yield, high temperature resistance and excellent rice quality, and is exported to Southeast Asia and Africa.
"When Huguang is ripe, the world is full." Hubei has implemented the strategy of "storing grain in the land and storing grain in technology" in depth, demarcated 40.14 million mu of grain production functional areas and important agricultural product production protection areas, built 39.8 million mu of high-standard farmland, and the total grain output of the province has remained above 50 billion jin for 9 consecutive years, firmly guarding the bottom line of food security.
4 kilometers southwest of this rice breeding base is Dongshan Village, Changgang Town, Echeng District, Ezhou City, where the residential style is simple and the ground is shaded by green trees. On the side of the two-lane highway that was just opened in April, two red trails extend from the community comprehensive service center to the newly built lotus sightseeing base.
In July 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to Dongshan Village to learn about the construction of urban and rural integration. He pointed out that the difficulty in building a well-off society in an all-round way lies in the countryside. We must have industrialization, informatization, urbanization, as well as agricultural modernization and new rural construction, and the two aspects must develop simultaneously. We must break the urban-rural dual structure, promote the integration of urban and rural development, and build the vast rural areas into a beautiful home for farmers to live a happy life.
"We have implemented the instructions of the General Secretary and introduced 16 ecological agricultural projects such as 10,000 mu Xianglian base, 10,000 mu Wuchang fish base, and 100 mu cherry blossom garden according to local conditions, and built an agricultural, cultural and tourism complex integrating homestays, sightseeing, and picking." Zhan Zhiqi, director of the village committee of Dongshan Village, said that the village's collective economic income was only 260,000 yuan in 2013, but it has increased to 2.8 million yuan last year, and more than 500 villagers have found employment at their doorstep.
Since last year, Hubei has vigorously promoted the development of the Wuhan metropolitan area, and the transportation between Wuhan and 8 surrounding cities such as Ezhou, Huangshi, and Huanggang has become more convenient, the industrial connection has become closer, and it has become more convenient for residents to do things. 20,000 kilometers of rural roads have been newly rebuilt and renovated throughout the province, and 330 "brightening small towns" demonstration towns, 11,400 demonstration villages and renovated villages have taken on a new look.
Walking into the service hall of the Wuhan Rural Comprehensive Property Exchange located in the "Citizens' Home" in Wuhan City, the large screen scrolls information such as land area and listing price in different regions. In front of the window, staff are reviewing signatures, data, official seals and other land transaction information for farmers who come to handle business.
On the morning of July 22, 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping came here and listened to the report on the exploration of rural property transactions. He talked with staff and farmers who came to handle property transfer transaction certification procedures, and asked in detail about the specific process of property transactions, believing that this is a positive exploration.
"The General Secretary urged us to deepen rural reforms and improve the basic rural management system. We must study the relationship between rural land ownership, contracting rights and management rights. Land transfer must respect farmers' wishes, ensure basic farmland and food security, and be conducive to increasing farmers' income." Gui Ling, deputy general manager of Wuhan Agricultural Exchange, said.
Wuhan City continues to explore the reform of the "three-rights separation" of rural land, and has introduced a sound access, review and supervision mechanism for the transfer of management rights. Hubei Province has built more than 70 city and county rural property rights trading markets, and explored a variety of effective management rights transfer models such as exchange, leasing, mortgage, equity, auction, and trusteeship. Up to now, the transfer area of rural contracted land in the province has reached 23 million mu, and 315,000 new business entities such as family farms and farmers' cooperatives have become the main force in rural revitalization.
Focus on making new progress in protecting and improving people's livelihood
"Please show your health code and travel code, and outsiders should register your information." At the south gate of Donghu New City Community in Wuhan, Liao Qingzhi, a member of the community's "Anti-epidemic Pioneer Team" wearing a red vest, is on duty at the checkpoint. After checking the "green code", facial recognition and temperature detection must be performed by the intelligent access control system before the gate will be released.
On March 10, 2020, at a critical moment in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to the Donghu New City Community to inspect the community's health and epidemic prevention, community services, and people's livelihood security. From 0:00 on April 8, 2020, Wuhan lifted the control measures on the channels leaving Wuhan and Hubei. On the same day, the General Secretary wrote back to all community workers in the Donghu New City Community, emphasizing "grasping all aspects of epidemic prevention and control in detail and serving the people with heart and affection".
"The General Secretary's care and entrustment have given us great encouragement." Tao Jiudi, secretary of the Donghu New City Community Party Committee, said that for more than two years, the Donghu New City Community has insisted on combining human defense with technical defense. Retired party members and volunteers in the community have formed the "Old Donghu Patrol Team" and the "Anti-epidemic Vanguard Team" to carry out checkpoint duty, environmental disinfection, daily inspections, etc., and continue to do a good job in normalized epidemic prevention and control.
Regularly participate in the expanded nucleic acid screening, and show a 72-hour nucleic acid negative certificate when entering and leaving public places... Nowadays, complying with the requirements for normalized epidemic prevention and control has become a conscious action of the vast number of cadres and the masses in Wuhan.
Walking into Qingheju Community, Gongrencun Street, Qingshan District, Wuhan City, you will see green trees, birds singing and flowers blooming. This is the largest resettlement area for shantytown renovation in Central China and the largest public rental housing community in Wuhan City. There are many elderly people and disadvantaged groups in the community. On April 26, 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping came to Qingheju Community to inspect the construction of shantytown projects and the living conditions of residents. When he heard that the public welfare organization voluntarily provided meal delivery services to the elderly and disabled in the community and solved their life problems, the general secretary praised them for doing a great thing.
"Now the canteen has more dishes to choose from, and the size of the meal ticket has been increased to make it easier for the elderly to identify the denomination." Social worker Wang Yang said that the "Haoweidao" canteen has been opened in all 12 streets in Qingshan District, and the elderly over 60 years old can enjoy preferential services.
"The General Secretary repeatedly warned us that "there is no small matter for the people." Gui Xiaomei, secretary of the Qingheju Community Party Branch, said that the community, guided by party building, has gathered community workers, grassroots party members, volunteers, property management, social workers and other forces to solve the urgent problems of the people with heart and emotion.
After the epidemic prevention and control entered the normal stage, Hubei Province promoted 1.04 million party members and cadres to sink into the community on a regular basis, consolidate the foundation of grassroots governance, and effectively handle various people's livelihood issues. In 2021, the province will complete the renovation of 713,000 old residential communities, 42,000 shantytowns, and 11,000 aging-friendly renovations.
The construction of the public health system is a matter of great concern to General Secretary Xi Jinping. On the afternoon of May 24, 2020, when attending the deliberation of the Hubei delegation at the Third Session of the 13th National People's Congress, the General Secretary pointed out that China's public health system and medical service system played an important role in responding to the epidemic, but also exposed some shortcomings and deficiencies. We must face up to existing problems, increase reform efforts, and work hard to make up for shortcomings, plug loopholes, and strengthen weaknesses.
"We keep in mind the instructions of the General Secretary, insist on putting life first, and strive to promote post-epidemic public health shortcomings." Luo Jie, secretary of the Party Committee of Shiyan Taihe Hospital, who made a report on the spot, introduced that Taihe Hospital has now established a close medical consortium with 9 community hospitals in Shiyan City, through expert sinking, business training, teaching rounds, telemedicine and other forms, so that more people can enjoy high-quality medical services at their doorstep.
In the past two years, Hubei has improved the three-level urban and rural medical service network and promoted the extension of high-quality medical resources to remote urban areas and cities and counties. The province has built 9 county (city) tertiary hospitals, added 130 county-level medical communities, and equipped 4,777 college student village doctors.
Focus on achieving new results in ecological civilization construction
Hubei, with a main line of the Yangtze River flowing through 1,061 kilometers, is the province with the longest mileage of the Yangtze River. It is also the location of the Three Gorges Project and an important water source for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. On April 26, 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a symposium on promoting the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in Wuhan, requiring the adherence to the new development concept, the general tone of work of seeking progress while maintaining stability, the adherence to joint efforts in large-scale protection and not large-scale development, and the strengthening of reform and innovation, strategic coordination, and planning guidance, so as to promote high-quality economic development with the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The General Secretary's earnest instructions are being transformed into conscious actions across Hubei Province.
In Xujia Chong Village, Yiling District, Yichang City, where General Secretary Xi Jinping visited on April 24, 2018, several mothers-in-law were pounding and washing clothes in front of the convenient laundry pool paved with white tiles. Villager Liu Zhengqing still remembers the scene at that time, "The General Secretary chatted with everyone in front of the convenient laundry pool, and even picked up a mallet to try to wash clothes. Everyone told the General Secretary that in the past, people washed clothes by the river. Now the village has built a laundry pool, uses tap water, and the sewage is also centrally treated, which takes care of living habits and is very environmentally friendly."
Xujia Chong Village is located at the head of the reservoir in the dam area of the Three Gorges Project. "In the past, we lived off the mountains. In recent years, the environment has improved and the villagers have made a living from tourism." Villager Xie Rong said that the village now encourages villagers to collect recyclable waste, earn points, and then use the points to exchange for daily necessities, so as to achieve garbage classification and unified treatment. Everyone has consciously developed good environmental protection habits.
On the Yangtze River, dozens of kilometers downstream of Xujia Chong Village, the Xingfa Group Yichang New Materials Industrial Park is like a large park.
At noon on April 24, 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping came here to inspect the relocation and transformation of chemical companies and the greening of docks. He emphasized that enterprises are the main body and important force in the protection and construction of the Yangtze River's ecological environment. It is necessary to strengthen corporate responsibility, accelerate technological transformation, eliminate backward production capacity, develop clean production, and enhance corporate ecological environment protection and construction capabilities. We must be determined to move out all polluting enterprises along the Yangtze River. When relocating enterprises, we must ensure that people, equipment, garbage, and land are cleared to completely eradicate the hidden dangers of pollution in the Yangtze River.
Over the past four years, Xingfa Group has shut down, relocated and dismantled chemical plants along the river with a total value of more than 1.3 billion yuan, and invested 112 million yuan to regreen nearly 1,000 meters of vacated coastline. Yichang City has demolished and abolished 216 riverside docks and 134 sand mining sites; restored 52,700 mu of ecological greening in the whole area, repaired 97.6 kilometers of the Yangtze River coastline and 196 kilometers of tributary coastlines; and promoted the closure, transformation, relocation and transfer of 134 chemical companies.
Walking into the Wuhan GEM Urban Mine Low-Carbon Industrial Park, the conveyor belt of the sorting production line sent an old refrigerator into the closed crushing room. In less than a minute, iron, copper, aluminum, plastic, etc. were "spitted out" from the outlet.
"Turning waste into treasure and recycling is a sunrise industry. Turning garbage into resources is turning decay into magic. It is both science and art. I hope the company will continue to work hard." On July 22, 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping repeatedly reminded this when he visited here, and Xu Kaihua, chairman of GEM Co., Ltd., always kept it in mind.
From 2013 to 2021, GEM has built a total of 16 parks, and the shipments of new energy materials, green recycled plastics and other products account for more than 15% of the global market. In the first quarter of this year, GEM's output value exceeded 6.5 billion yuan, a 12-fold increase over the same period in 2013.
From villages, enterprises to ports, new momentum for green development continues to gather.
On July 21, 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping braved the heavy rain to visit the Yangluo Container Port of Wuhan New Port to learn about the cargo throughput of the port. He stressed that it is necessary to vigorously develop the modern logistics industry, strengthen cooperation in the Yangtze River Basin, give full play to the role of inland shipping, develop river-sea transport, and build the entire basin into a golden waterway.
"We keep in mind the instructions of the General Secretary and strive to promote the green development and high-quality development of Yangtze River shipping." Yu Liqi, manager of the operations department of Wuhan Port Container Co., Ltd., said that now in the port area, an electric container truck can reduce carbon emissions by more than 90 tons per year and save costs by 168,000 yuan; on the river, the "Hubei-made" river-sea direct container demonstration ship has doubled the container capacity of ordinary container ships, and the average daily fuel consumption per box has been reduced by more than 23%.
The "Golden Waterway" continues to release "golden benefits". On May 20, the waterway regulation project from Wuhan to Anqing on the Yangtze River main line passed the completion environmental protection acceptance, and 10,000-ton river-sea vessels with a draft of less than 6 meters can reach Wuhan all year round. In 2021, the container throughput of Wuhan Port reached 2.48 million TEUs, a year-on-year increase of 26%.
In recent years, Hubei Province has closed, relocated and transferred chemical companies along the river, abolished illegal docks on the Yangtze River main line, vacated the coastline, and restored the ecology. 31,952 retired fishermen in the province "washed their feet and went ashore" and got a "new job". The urban sewage treatment rate in the province reached 96%, and domestic sewage treatment facilities in towns and villages were fully covered. The water quality of the Hubei section of the Yangtze River main stream has remained stable at Class II for three consecutive years.
Focusing on the protection and restoration of the Yangtze River, Hubei Province has launched ten landmark campaigns for the protection of the Yangtze River in recent years, including the promotion of agricultural non-point source pollution control, the closure, transformation and relocation of chemical enterprises along the river, and the harmless treatment of urban and rural garbage. It has also coordinated the promotion of the acceleration of the development of green industries, the promotion of green and livable urban construction, and the implementation of the park circular development leading action, and other ten strategic measures for the protection of the Yangtze River. The ecological environment of the Hubei section of the Yangtze River is undergoing a turning point. The "Ten Major Tough and Improvement Action Plan for High-level Protection of the Yangtze River in Hubei" issued in March this year clearly requires that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the quality and stability of the Yangtze River Basin ecosystem will be steadily improved through the "three-year concentrated attack and two-year consolidation and improvement" action.
"We must fully, accurately and comprehensively implement the important speeches and instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping on Hubei's work, meticulously implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee, unswervingly follow the path of ecological priority and green development, deeply implement the innovation-driven development strategy, accelerate industrial transformation and upgrading, accelerate the realization of agricultural and rural modernization, and solidly promote rural revitalization, so that the results of high-quality development will benefit the people of the province more, better and more equitably." The main responsible comrade of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee said.
(Reporters He Guanghua, Tian Doudou, Li Xia, Fan Haotian, Wu Jun, Qiang Yuwen)