Jiangsu maps out development goals for 2019

The second session of the 13th Jiangsu People's Congress began Jan 14 in Nanjing with the release of the government work report.

Jiangsu’s economy in 2018 witnessed high-speed growth but the growth rate was within a reasonable range. GDP in East China's Jiangsu province was predicted to rise by 6.7 percent to 9.2 trillion yuan ($1.36 trillion) last year and the consumer price level rose by 2.3 percent year-on-year, said Wu Zhenglong, governor of Jiangsu province, while delivering the annual provincial government work report.

Achieving high-quality development

Regional growth in 2019 is forecast to be above 6.5 percent, 0.5 percentage point lower year-on-year, as the government aims to deepen reform and improve the quality and efficiency of the economy.

Statistics showed that Jiangsu gained momentum in achieving high-quality development as the corporate profits of industrial enterprises above designated size increased 8.4 percent year-on-year and energy consumption per unit of GDP was reduced by 5.5 percent. Carbon dioxide emissions were reduced by 45 percent per unit of GDP and total coal consumption in 2018 was 18 million tons less than that of 2016.

Cultivating trillion-yuan-level ($147.81 million) industrial clusters

The government work report pointed out that the economic downturn and complicated external environment have had negative effects on the real economy and manufacturing industry. The root of Jiangsu’s development lies in the real economy with manufacturing as its core.

Jiangsu will focus on the construction of 13 key industrial clusters and cultivate a batch of autonomous and controllable trillion-yuan-level industrial clusters with international competitive edge, and form a series of high-end manufacturing brands in the province.

Speeding up regional transport construction

2018 was a harvest year for Jiangsu’s railway construction with the Qinglian (Shandong’s Qingdao to Lianyungang) Railway, the Lianyan (Lianyungang to Yancheng) Railway and the second phase of the Ningqi (Nanjing to Qidong) Railway coming into use and construction starting on several other inter-city railways, including the line between Nanjing to Zhenjiang’s Jurong.

In 2019, Jiangsu will strive to establish a modern comprehensive transport system. Apart from railway construction, projects related to pathways across the Yangtze River such as tunnels and bridges, airports and highways were also mentioned in the document.

Controlling environmental pollution

In 2019, Jiangsu will continue to work on controlling and preventing environmental pollution.

The annual mean concentration of PM 2.5 was reduced to 47 micrograms per cubic meter in 2018 and the ratio of good air quality days in Jiangsu rose to 70 percent. Achievements in water governance were also significant.

More than 3,600 companies above designated size with high energy consumption and high pollution were shut down in 2018. According to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Jiangsu saw its administrative penalty for illegal environmental activities reaching 1.97 billion yuan, ranking the most in the country.