Shaanxi hones innovation in high-quality development

Shaanxi province is making big strides in its high-quality development by leveraging technological innovation as a key growth driver, while helping the nation achieve high-level self-reliance in high-tech sectors, said a top official of the province on Thursday.

Speaking at a news conference held in Beijing by the State Council Information Office, Shaanxi Governor Zhao Gang said that three national-level industrial clusters — aviation, integrated circuits and advanced structural materials — are based in the province, which is one of the key centers for scientific research in China.

In addition, a number of high technologies developed in the region, such as superconductivity and ultrahigh voltage transmission, are of world-class standard, Zhao noted.

The news conference focused on Shaanxi's practices in advancing Chinese modernization with breakthroughs in high-quality development.

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

The province has been accelerating the development of advanced manufacturing industries, particularly the new energy vehicle industry, according to the governor.

Manufacturing units for key new energy vehicle components, including batteries, electric motors and control panels, have been established in Shaanxi. The production of new energy vehicles has seen an average annual increase of 1.6-fold in the past three years, he said.

Furthermore, the province has been developing technologies required by China's major projects, such as manned space missions, lunar probes and deep-sea expeditions, so that the country can be self-reliant in high-tech sectors, he added.

As a key stop on both the ancient Silk Road and the 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 surged in recent years, especially with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2023, the number of new energy vehicles exported from Shaanxi increased nearly twelve-fold year-on-year.

The number of train trips operated by the China-Europe Railway Express service from Shaanxi has witnessed an annual average increase of 12.8 percent in the past three years.

In 2023, over 5,300 freight train trips were made, with key indicators including the number of freight trips and cargo volume ranking first in the country, Zhao said.

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