Fellow Deputies,

On behalf of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, I now present to you the report on the work of the government for your deliberation, and I invite comments and suggestions on my report from the members of the Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

I  Review of the Work in 2018

The year of 2018 was the first year for the comprehensive implementation of the guidelines of the 19th CPC National Congress. General Secretary Xi Jinping paid his first investigation tour outside Beijing to Jiangsu following the 19th CPC National Congress, which pointed out a clear direction and was rather encouraging for us. Over the past year, following the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we put into practice the guidelines of the 19th CPC National Congress and the important instructions and requirements on Jiangsu’s work by General Secretary Xi Jinping, implemented the decisions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council and the working requirements of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, committed ourselves to the underlying principle of making progress while keeping performance stable, and promoted the new philosophy of development. We confidently overcame difficulties, effectively responded to the challenges brought about by profound external changes and the negative impacts resulting from dealing with the slowdown in economic growth, making difficult structural adjustments and absorbing the effects of previous economic stimulus policies. We conscientiously strived for high quality in six aspects (economic development, reform and opening up, urban-rural development, cultural advancement, ecological environment and people’s living standards), made new moves to build Jiangsu into a moderately prosperous province in all respects with improved performance by focusing on innovation and enriching its people, and promoted reform, development and stability in a coordinated manner. Thanks to these efforts, Jiangsu got off to a good start in high-quality development and made new headway in building a new Jiangsu with prosperity, sustainability and civility.

1. Steady progress was made in economic development.

We improved economic analysis, promoted Six Stables (keeping employment, financial system, foreign trade, foreign investment, overall investment and expectations stable) as required by the CPC Central Committee and pushed forward steady and sound economic development by taking targeted measures promptly. We kept economic performance within an appropriate range and maintained a medium-high growth rate. Jiangsu’s GDP was projected to grow by 6.7% to around RMB 9.2 trillion. Fixed assets investment rose by 5.7%. Among others, industrial investment, investment in industrial technological upgrading and private investment increased by 6.6%, 10.5% and 10.2% respectively. RMB 530 billion was invested in 228 major projects. Total retail sales of consumer goods grew by 8.5%. Online retail sales from businesses above a certain designated scale rose by over 20%. CPI was up by 2.3%. We further improved the economic structure of the province. Output value of strategic emerging industries and high-tech industries was projected to rise by 9% and 10.5%, with their proportion of GDP growing to 32% and 43%. Added value from high-tech manufacturing and equipment manufacturing was up by 9.5% and 7%, 4.5 percentage points and two percentage points higher than the growth of industries above a certain designated scale. Great efforts were made to promote transformation and upgrading of chemical and steel and iron sectors and coal-fired power plants and improve the spatial layout of facilities in these sectors. The oil refinery project of Lianyungang Shenghong Petrochemical Group started construction, and the Meishan campus of the China Baowu Steel Group Corporation Limited and other steel and iron production facilities made important progress in spatial layout adjustments. Backward coal-fired power plants with total installed capacity of 488,000 kw were shut down. Policies were introduced to drive high-quality development of the private sector of the economy and they had paid off. We further improved the quality and efficiency of economic development. General public budgetary revenue totaled RMB 863 billion, up by 5.6% year on year. Among others, tax revenue increased by 12%, and its proportion of general public budgetary revenue reached some 84.2%, an increase of 4.8 percentage points compared with the previous year. Profits of industrial enterprises above a certain designated scale gained 8.4%. Energy consumption per unit of GDP was projected to drop by 5.5%. CO2 emission per unit of GDP decreased by 4.5% year on year and coal consumption per unit of GDP decreased by over 18 million tons compared with 2016. Energy utilization efficiency went up significantly. The number of exemplary enterprises as national champions in individual manufacturing areas rose by 25, and four more enterprises won the China Grand Awards for Industry.

2. Notable progress was achieved in forestalling risks, preventing and controlling pollution and relieving poverty.  

We earnestly followed the decisions and requirements by the Central Government by taking more effective measures against tough problems. We built on the successes already achieved, shored up weak links and completed all tasks in these three aspects set for the year. Risks in major areas were brought under control. We formulated, introduced and implemented measures for forestalling and defusing hidden debt risks of local government. By strengthening accountability and adopting a holistic approach, we forcefully yet effectively pushed forward the work of controlling and reducing government debt. We handled a series of major illegal fund-raising incidents in accordance with the law and regulations in a timely manner, straightened out online P2P lenders and cut the number of newly filed suspected criminal cases involving RMB 100 million or over 1,000 participants. We intensified efforts in pollution prevention and control. We took the feedbacks from the central environmental protection inspection team seriously and resolutely prevented and controlled pollution by vigorously cleaning up chemical industrial pollution along the Yangtze River and ensuring that potable water sources met safety standards through inspections. The average concentration of PM2.5 stood at 48 μg/m3 across the province. 68.3% of 104 water sections under national monitoring met Grade III (excellent) standards in water quality, and 1% was categorized as Grade V (inferior). Emission reduction of four major pollutants, namely COD, sulphur dioxide, ammonia nitrogen and NOX, all achieved targets set by the national authority. Water quality in the Yangtze River, the Huaihe River, other key watersheds and offshore areas was kept stable. Drinking water safety and no massive bloom of green-blue algae had been achieved in the treatment of the Taihu Lake for 11 straight years. 129 projects of treating black and malodorous water bodies were carried out. The work of mapping soil contamination in agricultural land was completed. The capability of disposing of hazardous waste was steadily on the rise. We conducted a three-year campaign to improve rural sanitation and saw continuous improvement of urban and rural sanitation thanks to great efforts in promoting disposal of household refuse, treatment of domestic sewage, betterment of village appearance and toilet revolution. Forest coverage rate hit 23.2% in the province. Marked progress was made in targeted poverty relief. We energetically conducted a three-year campaign of poverty relief, followed the provincial requirements for poverty reduction and worked hard to guarantee adequate food and clothing and access to compulsory education, basic medical services and safe housing for the impoverished. We paid special attention to contiguous poverty-stricken areas, economically weak villages and low-income groups in this work and spared no effort to handle the problem of people becoming impoverished or falling back to poverty because of diseases, disabilities and disasters. 675,000 registered low-income people shook off poverty through earning a higher income and 244 economically weak villages identified by the provincial government met poverty relief targets. The proportion of low-income population dropped to well below 1%.

3. New driving forces for development continued to grow stronger.

We intensified efforts to implement the innovation-driven strategy by focusing on accelerating the shift from the old driving forces to new ones. Technological innovation capacity was enhanced. Jiangsu Technological Innovation Conference was convened to work out policies and measures for in-depth integration of science and technology with industries. Input in R&D in the whole society took up 2.64% of the GDP (by new statistical criteria). The number of patents owned by every 10,000 people reached 26.45, up by 3.95 over the previous year. Technological advancement contributed 63% to economic growth. Enterprises were playing a bigger role in innovation. Efforts were made to speed up the cultivation of leading enterprises in innovation as well as unicorn and gazelle companies that had proprietary IPRs and brands. The number of newly accredited national high-tech companies exceeded 8,000. The proportion of R&D input to corporate revenue from main businesses grew to 1.3%. Approximately 90% of large and medium-sized industrial enterprises and high-tech enterprises above a certain designated scale had set up in-house R&D centers. The number of state-level corporate R&D institutions reached 145, ranking amongst the top across the country. Greater efforts were made to achieve breakthroughs in some major and core technologies. Special programs for prospective and pioneering technologies were implemented to prioritize the building of indigenous innovation capacity with a view of meeting the needs of industrial upgrading. We pooled resources to intensify our effort to make breakthroughs in key technological bottlenecks that seriously hinder our development, and implemented 131 projects to make breakthroughs in some major and core technologies. The policy system for commercialization of research results was improved, and 124 commercialization projects were completed. We made major progress in building platforms for major technologies. Two national large-scale scientific facilities on future networks and high-performing low-carbon gas turbine settled in Jiangsu. The Purple Mountain Laboratory for Network and Communication Security was launched. 171 national and provincial key laboratories were set up. The number of national engineering technology research centers, national key laboratories, and national incubators in Jiangsu ranked among the top in China. New industries, new types of business and new models were developing rapidly. The output of industrial robots, new-energy vehicles, 3D printing equipment and intelligent TV sets increased by 12%, 100%, 50% and 35%, respectively. The revenue of commercial services, software and IT services, as well as the internet and its related services grew by 7.9%, 13.7% and 41.3%, respectively. Work related to entrepreneurship and innovation scaled a new height. Quality services were delivered to facilitate business start-ups and innovation by the general public. Five national professional makerspaces were newly built. Another 1.653 million market entities were registered, among which 555,000 were enterprises. The campaign to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation contributed over 50% to the generation of urban new jobs. Civil-military integration was accelerated. One national and nine provincial industrial demonstration bases for civil-military integration were built.

4. Coordinated development of the urban and rural areas was enhanced.

Urban-rural integration was promoted to achieve complementary development amongst different regions, so that more balanced and coordinated development between the urban and rural areas and amongst different regions was in place. the rural revitalization strategy was promoted. Greater efforts were made to make distinctive industries stronger and more competitive. Agricultural infrastructure was improved and programs were launched to empower farmers through reputable agricultural products. Industrial structure in the agricultural sector continued to improve. High-efficiency facility agriculture took up 19.6% in the sector. High-standard farmland accounted for 61% of the total. Comprehensive mechanization rate in agriculture hit 84%. Contribution of technological advancement to overall agricultural development rose to 68%. Total grain output registered 36.6 billion kilograms. Building of idyllic villages with distinctive characteristics was making headway, and over 130 villages were part of the pilot program in an orderly fashion. 4,838 kilometers of road and 2,874 bridges were rebuilt or retrofitted in rural areas over the year. Reform of the rural land system, the collective property rights system, and rural finance was deepened, and over half of the incorporated villages had completed the shareholding reform of the cooperative system for collective assets. Mazhuang experience was summarized and extended to other rural areas, and major progress was registered in rural cultural development, farmers’ morale and rural governance. Regional integrated development was enhanced. Under the guidance of “joining hands in protection and refraining from massive development”, we worked out and adopted measures to ensure that Jiangsu would be taking the lead in China in terms of high-quality development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. A coordinated approach was adopted in promoting industrial restructuring along the Yangtze River, pursuing ecological conservation, building transportation hubs and conducting urban planning, which resulted in accelerated economic transformation in riverside regions. The Three-year Action Plan and Current Major Tasks pivoting on Yangtze River Delta integration were earnestly implemented. All crucial tasks in this respect were beefed up. The “1+3” major functional zones strategy was further implemented, and the building of the Yangtze River Urban Cluster, Jianghuai Ecological Economic Zone, Coastal Economic Belt and the central city at Xuzhou Huaihai Economic Zone was making steady progress. We made fresh progress in intensifying one-on-one aid cooperation and east-west coordination in poverty alleviation. We sped up the building of a modern integrated transportation system. The construction plan of the inter-city railway in the Yangtze River Urban Cluster was approved by the Central Government. Jiangsu Railway Group and the Eastern Airport Group were established. Construction of the south riverside inter-city railway and the Nanjing-Jurong inter-city railway were initiated. Efforts were accelerated to construct the Lianyungang-Huai’an-Yangzhou-Zhenjiang Railway, Yancheng-Nantong High-speed Railway, Lianyungang-Xuzhou High-speed Railway, and the Xuzho-Suqian-Huai’an-Yancheng Railway. The Qingdao-Lianyungang Railway and the Lianyungang-Yancheng Railway were completed and put to use. The renovation and expansion project of T1 building of Nanjing Lukou Airport was smoothly carried out. Steady progress was made in the phase II project of the 300,000-ton shipping lane at the Lianyungang Port and the phase IV project of the Suzhou Taicang Port. The phase II project of the 12.5m deep-water navigation channel from Nanjing to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River was completed and started trial operation.    

5. Reform and opening up was furthered.

We started anew on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up, determined to make new progress in this endeavor. The supply-side structural reform was deepened. In the year, production capacity of 800,000 tons of steel, 2.1 million tons of cement and 6.6 million weight cases of plate glass were reduced. Over 3,600 energy-guzzling and pollution-intensive companies and enterprises above a certain designated scale which fell short of environmental regulations were shut down. A special campaign to upgrade chemical enterprises was carried out, and about 1,000 backward chemical enterprises were weeded out. Ratio of liabilities to assets of industrial enterprises above a certain designated scale dropped by 0.2 percentage point. Multiple measures were taken to help enterprises reduce cost by over RMB 120 billion. RMB 360 billion was invested in 200 projects to shore up weak links of great importance. We intensified efforts in the reform of streamlining government functions and improving services. Over 90% of the items that required administrative approval could be processed online. The objectives of the “3550” reform (new business registration was done within three working days, real estate certificate within five working days, and construction permit for industrial production within 50 working days) were basically achieved. The model of interview-free approval was adopted across the board, and standardized and well-regulated trials of strengthening government transparency were pushed forward at the community level. Jiangsu took the lead in the country in terms of pro-business environment. Reforms of provincial government institutions were smoothly carried out. Public institutions were classified to implement differentiated reforms in an orderly manner. Solid steps were taken to pursue reforms in finance, tax, state-owned assets, SOEs, ecological environment and social entitlement programs. Pilot reforms of the institution of salt and construction industries were deepened. We took new steps to enhance opening up. Policies for building a high-quality Belt and Road intersection were introduced. Lianyungang was built into a strategic stronghold with its China-Kazakhstan Logistics Cooperation Base and SCO International Logistics Park developed with high standards. Five Major Plans including expansion of international integrated transportation system were carried out. 230 outbound investment projects in countries along the Belt and Road were newly started, up by 50% over the previous year. Exports to these countries grew by over 9.6% (in RMB value) and took up over 24% of the total exports of Jiangsu. Foreign trade volume went up by 10% (in RMB value), among which exports increased by 8.6%. Paid-in foreign investment stood at USD 25.5 billion, up by 2% year on year. Meticulous efforts were made in organizing and participating in the first China Export Expo, which resulted in an accumulated transaction volume of USD 5.89 billion, ranking second across the country. We actively extended the reform measures adopted in the national pilot free trade zone. Efforts were sped up to facilitate transformation of development zones with distinctive characteristics. Jiangsu took the lead in China in terms of the number and performance of state-level development zones as the first province in China where all municipalities with districts were equipped with national high-tech zones.  

6. People’s sense of fulfillment, happiness and security was improved.

Orienting our efforts towards people’s aspiration for a better life, we focused on resolving outstanding problems concerning people’s livelihood, and people’s sense of fulfillment, happiness and security was improved. As much as 75% of our public fiscal expenditure was used to improve people’s livelihood. Per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents reached RMB 47,200 and RMB 20,800, up by 8.2% and 8.8%. Another 1.53 million people found urban jobs. We supported 311,000 people in starting their own business, which provided employment opportunities to another 1.2128 million. Registered and surveyed urban unemployment rates stood at 2.97% and 4.4%. The universal medical insurance system was improved with benefits rising steadily. The medical insurance system was unified for urban and rural residents, insurance payment was made applicable to 309 drugs including 17 anticancer medications, and more people outside Jiangsu were entitled to reimbursement of treatment of more diseases in Jiangsu. We carried out the pilot program of Healthy Jiangsu, deepened reform of public hospitals and prices of medical services, and promoted the tiered medical diagnosis and treatment system with 38 newly-built healthcare consortiums. 89% of all counties (county-level cities and district) had access to telemedical services. 90% of medical consultations took place in counties. The number of items of public medical services increased to 55. 69% of seniors aged 65 and above received health management services. Residents’ overall health level ranked among the best in the country. Education reform was deepened. We increased supply of preschool education resources, picked up the pace of promoting better and more balanced development of compulsory education, improved the modern vocational education system, and made steady progress in developing world-class universities and programs and building prestigious universities. We started to renovate another 256,200 housing units in rundown urban areas (and dilapidated housing in rural areas), built 242,400 units of affordable housing, and provided rent subsidies to 22,900 households. We initiated the work of improving housing conditions of rural residents in north Jiangsu and strived to make progress in it. We made vigorous efforts to improve sanitation in old residential areas and facilitate installation of elevators in multistoried buildings for the convenience of the elderly. We overfulfilled the task of building demonstration livable residential areas at the provincial level. We vigorously developed cultural programs and industries through staging the Zijin Cultural Festival and the 100 Chinese Operas Gala (Kunshan) 2018. We implemented the national initiative of building the Grand Canal Cultural Belt, set up a provincial fund for the development of the Grand Canal culture, and launched the construction of the Jiangsu section of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park. We turned out a series of quality cultural works to build brands on the Jiangnan Culture and the Grand Canal Culture. We made greater efforts to build our province into a leader in sports. The 19th Provincial Games was held to boost coordinated development between mass sports and competitive sports and between sports programs and sports industry. Jiangsu athletes scored outstanding achievements at the 18th Asian Games. We carried out a campaign to remove hidden dangers in key industries and fields with the number of both workplace safety accidents and death toll dropping. Oversight of food and drug safety was strengthened. We launched a campaign to crack down on organized crimes and local mafias and an initiative to resolve social tensions and disputes, and promoted an innovative mechanism for grid social governance. As a result, people’s sense of security reached as high as 97.6%. We worked to resolve complaints made through letters or visits and upheld the rule of law in handling such complaints. The public legal service system for both urban and rural areas was set up, and headway was made in developing an Honest Jiangsu. New achievements were scored in the work on ethnic minorities, religions, foreign affairs, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao affairs, overseas Chinese affairs, advisory work and local chronicles as well as on the elderly, women, the youth, the disabled, the Red Cross, charity and care for the next generation. Earnest efforts were made in national defense mobilization, support to the army and preferential treatment of the families of servicemen, special assistance to veterans, and civil air defense with closer military-political and military-civil ties. We successfully organized the Commemorative Event for the International Day of Peace and the National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, which fully demonstrated the aspiration of Jiangsu people for lasting peace and sustained development.

Fellow deputies, these accomplishments have certainly not come easily. We owe them to the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the practice of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in Jiangsu, the direct leadership of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, the oversight and support of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Congress and the CPPCC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, the support of people from all works of life and the concerted efforts of people across Jiangsu. On behalf of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, I wish to pay tribute and express sincere thanks to workers, farmers, intellectuals, officials and people from all quarters across the province. My thanks also go to deputies of the provincial people’s congress and members of the CPPCC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, all other political parties, federations of industry and commerce, public figures without party affiliation, civil societies, the People’s Liberation Army stationed in Jiangsu, armed police forces, public security officers and firefighters, and to compatriots in the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions and Taiwan and overseas Chinese and foreign friends who followed and supported Jiangsu’s reform, opening-up and modernization.

We are also conscious of the many difficulties and problems in our economic and social development. The real economy is facing challenges, and the downward pressure on the economy is mounting. The indigenous innovation capacity is yet to be enhanced, and the development of an independent modern industrial system under our own control requires sustained efforts. Resource and environment constraints have become increasingly severe, and there still remain grave challenges in air, water and soil pollution prevention and control. Hidden risks in some fields cannot be neglected, and social governance is faced with many new circumstances and new problems. Transformation of government functions still has room to improve. Greater efforts are needed to enhance our capacity of performing duties in accordance with the law and building a law-based government. The practice of formalities for formalities’ sake and bureaucratism need to be further addressed. We must attach great importance to these problems and take forceful and effective measures to resolve them.

II  Major Tasks for 2019

The year of 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and it is a crucial year for securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and at a high level, with opportunities and challenges coexisting. It is of tremendous importance to deliver a good performance in this year’s work. In a time when the world is undergoing great changes unseen before in one century, we should adopt a long-term perspective in understanding current circumstances, and be keenly aware that China is in an important period of strategic opportunities and will remain so for a long time to come, that the fundamentals of the Chinese economy remain sound, and that Jiangsu enjoys solid industrial foundation, advanced science and technology and a good momentum of development. Against this backdrop, we should maintain strategic resolve and remain firmly confident in our development. We should be fully aware of the pros and cons of the changes in international environment and domestic conditions. We must recognize that the complex and grave external environment and mounting downward pressure on the economy may disrupt economic development, which is quite concerning. Nonetheless, it is important for us to know that opportunities always go hand in hand with changes and crises, and what we should do is to turn changes and crises into opportunities. Faced with difficulties and challenges, we should be galvanized and work even harder to pursue indigenous innovation and promote economic transformation and upgrading as well as high-quality development. We should focus on the new objectives set for the important period of strategic opportunities, and seize these new opportunities brought about by economic structural improvement and upgrading, scientific and technological innovation, reform and opening-up, green development and participation in the reform of the global economic governance system. We should be more proactive and foresighted in our work and spare no effort to resolve deep-seated problems in economic development. Forging ahead with painstaking efforts, we will further promote the building of a new Jiangsu with prosperity, sustainability and civility.

The general requirements for the work of the government are:

－Follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era;

－Implement fully the guiding principles of the 19th CPC National Congress and the second and third plenary sessions of the 19th CPC Central Committee;

－Follow through on the important speeches and instructions by General Secretary Xi Jinping on Jiangsu’s work;

－Promote balanced economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress and coordinated implementation of the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy (Note: This refers to making comprehensive moves to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, deepen reform, advance the law-based governance of China, and strengthen Party self-governance);

－Remain committed to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability and the new development philosophy;

－Pursue high-quality development;

－Focus on supply-side structural reform;

－Deepen market-oriented reform and further opening up at a new level;

－Push forward the three major national initiatives, namely the Belt and Road Initiative, the Yangtze River Economic Belt initiative and the initiative for regional economic integration of the Yangtze River Delta;

－Maintain stable growth, promote reform, make structural adjustments, improve living standards, guard against risks and ensure stability;

－Keep employment, financial system, foreign trade, foreign investment, overall investment and expectations stable; and

－Ensure sustained and healthy economic and social development and social stability.

These efforts should lay a decisive foundation for the final phase of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and at a high level and enable Jiangsu to take the lead in promoting high-quality development. By doing so, we will usher in the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China with outstanding achievements.

Based on the above considerations, we have set the following projected targets for economic and social development this year: GDP will grow by over 6.5%; general public budgetary revenue will increase by around 4.5%; R&D input from the whole society will reach 2.65% of GDP; investment in fix assets will rise by around 6%; investment in high-tech industries, industrial technological upgrading and industry will increase by above 10%, 9% and 6.5% respectively; total retail sales of consumer goods will go up by 8.5%; foreign trade and foreign investment will be stable and more efficient; another 1.2 million plus people will get urban jobs; registered and surveyed urban unemployment rate will be kept under 4% and 5%; increase in CPI will be kept at around 3%; residential income growth will be in line with economic growth; energy saving, emission reduction as well as air and water quality will meet targets set by the Central Government. The above objectives take into consideration domestic and foreign circumstances as well as the need to secure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and at a high level. These objectives are ambitious yet practical in that they will both ensure Jiangsu’s leading position in high-quality development and contribute to overall national development.  

To achieve these targets, we must act in accordance with the Five Musts (Note: This refers to the statement that the country must uphold the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee; assess current circumstances from a long-term perspective and have a clear vision about the country’s long-term promising development prospects; make macro-regulation precisely, actively fine-tune policies and enhance policy coordination; timely respond to public concerns and guide market expectations in a targeted manner; give full play to the initiative of all parties to form synergy) proposed by the CPC Central Committee for keeping economy in a good shape, put into practice the guidelines of the Central Economic Work Conference and the fifth plenary session of the 13th CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee. We will strive to develop a modern economic system. Centering on supply-side structural reform, we will improve quality and efficiency of economic performance, replace old growth drivers with new ones and raise total factor productivity. We will work to develop an independent modern industrial system under our own control which promotes coordinated development of the real economy, scientific and technological innovation, modern finance and human resources. We will strive to promote the shift of growth drivers. We will pursue the innovation-driven development strategy and bolster industries with science and technology and turn scientific and technological innovation into the primary growth driver. We will work to promote coordinated development between urban and rural areas and among regions. We will promote integration and positive interaction between resources at a higher level so as to develop a system of coordinated urban-rural and regional development which highlights full utilization of each other’s advantages and complementarity of functions. We will make efforts to forestall and defuse risks, conduct targeted poverty relief and fight against pollution. Keeping the objectives in mind, we will focus on solving problems with more effective measures. We will make all-out efforts to secure a decisive victory on these three fronts so as to shore up all weak links and lay a solid foundation for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and at a high level. We will put efforts to enhance people’s sense of fulfillment, happiness and security. We will do more to improve people’s livelihood and address their concerns, and see to it that more outcomes of high-quality development benefit all people in Jiangsu in a fairer way and that people lead a better life. To accomplish this year’s work, we will give priorities to the following nine aspects.

1. Maintaining steady and healthy economic development

We will commit ourselves to the overarching principle of seeking progress amidst stability, with stability as the foundation and prerequisite. This year, the Central Government will continue to pursue a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy and initiate tax and fee cuts at a larger scale. Therefore, we need to conscientiously follow through on the Six Stables and leverage the key role of investment and the fundamental role of consumption, in an effort to keep economy performance within a proper range. We will vigorously push forward construction of major projects in industry, infrastructure and livelihood with effective investment, and focus on strengthening areas of weakness, adjusting structure and enhancing sustainability. We will priotize projects in pillar industries with strong ripple effects, run a range of projects in frontier industries with great potential, and move faster to foster new growth points. We will work on key areas such as transportation, water conservancy, environmental protection, livelihood, urbanization and information technology and improve their weak links. We will expedite the construction of principl transportation infrastructure including high-speed railway, river tunnels, expressway, ports, navigation channels and airports. We will build water conservation and supply projects and other major water conservancy projects. We will strengthen the supporting capability of new infrastructure encompassing information network and modern logistics. We will build more environmental protection infrastructure for waste water treatment, garbage disposal and environmental monitoring. We will cultivate new consumption areas. Centering on promoting high-quality development and high-standard life, we will improve consumption policies, guide participation of the private sector in providing services in such areas as healthcare, elderly care, culture, tourism, sports, housekeeping and early childhood education, and expand the scope of e-commerce services. We will focus on establishing demonstration zones of integrated tourism and distinctive tourist towns. We will guide enterprises to increase product variety, improve product quality and nurture renowned brands so as to better meet the needs created by consumption upgrading. We will see to it that by forwarding the growth of smart business districts and high-end pedestrian streets and the inheritance and renewal of time-honored brands and improving the credit system for consumption, people will have more consumption choices and less concerns. We will vigorously develop the private sector of the economy. By upholding the principle of unswervingly developing both the public and private sectors of the economy, we will create a sound business environment that is convenient, efficient, stable and transparent with a level playing ground, and build a new type of cordial and clean relationship between government and business. We will develop more targeted policies and measures to effectively address the strong complaints of private enterprises and further the development of the private sector of the economy.

2. Unswervingly promoting industrial transformation and upgrading

The real economy with manufacturing as the mainstay has always been the foundation of our development. As our objective is to turn Jiangsu into a strong manufacturer in China, we will underscore high-quality development of manufacturing and push it to the middle and higher end of the global value chain. We will cultivate advanced manufacturing clusters, scrutinize the industrial chains of Jiangsu’s 13 key industrial clusters and set up innovation chains around theses industrial chains. We will focus on the exemplary role of leading enterprises, nurture “small giant enterprises” that have proprietary advanced technologies and are innovative, and break through the bottleneck of core technologies. We will match funds with policies, concentrate on developing a group of trillion-yuan independent industrial clusters under our own control with internationally competitive advantages, and create a number of high-end manufacturing brands. We will accelerate the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries. We will fully leverage the decisive role of existing industries and enterprises in promoting high-quality development of our province. We will energetically develop the industrial internet, build key platforms and the “enterprise cloud”, create a few demonstration intelligent workshops and smart factories, cultivate a group of service providers for intelligent manufacturing system integration, and run a batch of technological upgrading projects. By doing so, we hope to achieve technological transformation and upgrading that elevates “Manufactured in Jiangsu” to “Intelligent Manufacturing in Jiangsu”. We will promote the transformation and development of chemical and steel and iron industries and coal-fired power plants. Following the requirements for improving spatial layout, boosting industrial clustering, raising technological level and cutting emission intensity, we will adjust the layout of facilities in these areas along the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal and around the Taihu Lake. We will encourage enterprises that have strong foundations and willingness to transform to take the lead in adjustment and upgrading. We will vigorously develop modern services. We will implement the Double Hundred program for producer services (building 100 exemplary clusters and 100 leading enterprises in producer services) and the Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Program for businesses on the internet platform (nurturing 100 leading enterprises and turning out RMB 100 billion profit and tax in businesses on the internet platform and building it into a trillion-yuan sector), and improve the ability of producer services to integrate factors of production. We will introduce regional headquarters and functional institutions of multinationals to accelerate the development of modern services such as modern logistics, industrial design and financial services, and promote deep integration of advanced manufacturing with modern services. We will improve quality across the board and advance the pilot program of standardized comprehensive reform of the country.

3. Fostering new development momentum

Abundant scientific and educational resources and a sound industrial foundation constitute a firm basis and advantages for Jiangsu’s development. We will link scientific and educational assets with industries, efficiently commercialize research results and make breakthroughs in key and core technologies with a view of gathering momentum for high-quality development. We will pursue the innovation-driven strategy. Following closely the general principles and relevant policies of Jiangsu Science and Technology Innovation Conference, we will work to stimulate the passion for innovation province-wide and boost our innovation capacity. We will strengthen the role of enterprises as main innovators, encourage enterprises to jointly establish high-level technological centers and engineering research centers with universities and research institutes, support enterprises in cultivating and introducing top-notch, highly skilled and urgently needed talent and fostering a group of high-value patents and renowned trademarks. We will further the construction of the Sunan National Innovation Park, accelerate the establishment of industrial innovation centers, and nurture high-tech enterprises. We will strengthen innovative platforms such as the Jiangsu Provincial Industrial Technology Research Institute and the Jiangsu Provincial Technology Property Rights Trading Market and put them to better use to boost the supply and commercialization of industrial technologies. We will actively promote the pilot program of insuring the first set of major equipment to effectively lower the risk of commercializing major research outcomes. We will undertake major national programs in science and technology, carry out researches into frontier and leading technologies, promote innovation in forward-looking industrial technologies and propel commercialization of major research results. Immense efforts will be exerted towards building major national science and technology infrastructures such as future networks, high-efficiency low-carbon gas turbines and Vacuum Interconnected Nano-X Research Facility (NANO-X). By focusing on making breakthroughs in key and core technologies and fostering leading original research results, we will create more top innovators in Jiangsu, a fertile ground for innovation. We will move faster to develop new industries, business forms and models. Following closely the latest trend of industrial development in the world, we will run a batch of key projects in digital economy, IoT, biomedicine, sharing economy and experience economy and advance the development of strategic emerging industries. We will conduct trials in big data and facilitate their innovative application, accelerate commercial application of 5G technology and extend IoT application. We will nurture unicorn enterprises, expedite their growth and turn them into the mainstay of the economy. The national strategy for military-civil integration will be advanced with the introduction of impactful programs in this regard. We will put marine resources to better use and push forward the development of marine economy. We will promote entrepreneurship and innovation with improved services, build resource sharing platforms, and expand market-orientated and specialized makerspaces. We will establish a group of demonstration bases of entrepreneurship and innovation and enhance support to innovative medium-small-micro businesses to enable more start-ups to thrive. We will better the mechanisms for attracting and using talent, boost the initiative and creativity of all types of professionals. An innovation culture will be nurtured to create a stronger environment for innovation.

4. Vigorously promoting rural revitalization

We will take rural revitalization as the overarching goal to push forward the work on agriculture, rural areas and farmers in the new era. We will prioritize the development of agriculture and rural areas, implement policies and measures to strengthen agriculture, benefit farmers, and raise rural living standards, and push forward the ten projects of rural revitalization. We will speed up development of modern agriculture. We will deepen the supply-side structural reform of agriculture, increase supply of high-quality green farm products, build a modern agricultural industrial system, production system, operation system, and scientific support system, and promote integrated growth of the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in rural areas. We will improve agricultural industrial structure and product mix to accelerate the development of the eight advantageous sectors with an output value of RMB 100 billion each, including high-quality rice and wheat, green vegetables and large-scale livestock and poultry. Standardized production and whole-process monitoring will be promoted. We will work to cultivate geographic indication products and a group of renowned brands. We will increase grain output through crop rotation, laying some land fallow and technology, and push forward coordinated protection of the quantity, quality and ecosystem of arable land. We will build high-standard farmland, raise mechanization level, advance agricultural scientific and technological innovation and research results application, and strengthen overall productivity and risk resistance in agriculture. We will accelerate the cultivation of new professional farmers, family farms, farmer cooperatives, and other emerging operation entities, and build a group of competitive agricultural enterprises. We will comprehensively advance crop rotation in south Jiangsu and build pilot villages with distinctive rural features. We will take effective measures to improve the living environment in rural areas. We will promote improvement of rural appearance, drinking water safety, treatment of wastes and sewage, toilet revolution and recycling of agricultural wastes, with over 95% of rural domestic garbage collected and disposed of. We will continue to ensure good construction, management, maintenance and operation of rural road, and upgrade 3,500 kilometers of road and 800 bridges in rural areas. We will make efforts to expand water, gas, and telecommunications infrastructures in rural areas. We will enhance efforts in targeted poverty alleviation. We will conscientiously carry out the three-year action plan for poverty relief, with focus on low-income population, economically weak villages and contiguous impoverished areas. We will adopt targeted relief measures for specific villages, households and people and complete the tasks of poverty alleviation for around 600,000 registered low-income people. 97 economically weak villages identified by the provincial government and 12 counties (districts) receiving most assistance from the provincial government will all meet poverty relief targets.

5. Effectively advancing ecological progress

A sound ecosystem is not only an important dimension of high-quality development but also a necessary requirement for leading a high-standard life and building a moderate prosperous society in all respects. Therefore, we must always prioritize ecological preservation and green development and fight against pollution with great resolve. We will follow through on the feedbacks from the central environmental protection inspection team in a bid to ensure continuous improvement of ecological environment. We will ensure success in defending the blue sky. We will intensify the management and control of major sources of pollution in a comprehensive manner, and implement the National-V emission standards for motor vehicles. We will basically complete pivotal tasks including upgrading of steel and iron factories, renovation of coal-fired boilers and cement and coking plants as well as facilities in other key industries to achieve ultra-low emissions. We will intensify management of construction sites and carry out a special program for controlling VOC emission. We will reduce average concentration of PM2.5 to 47 μg/m3 and raise the percentage of days with excellent and good air quality to 70%. We will work hard to fight against water pollution. We will strictly implement the accountability systems of river chief, lake chief and water section chief and earnestly protect water resources and restore water ecosystem. We will strengthen comprehensive treatment of the Taihu Lake Basin and guarantee safety of drinking water sources and no massive bloom of blue-green algae. We will intensify pollution prevention and control in offshore areas, protection of drinking water sources and remediation of black and malodorous water bodies in a bid to make sure that water quality in tributaries emptying into the Yangtze River and in rivers emptying into the sea is better than Grade V and that 70% of water sections under national monitoring meet Grade III standards. We will take solid steps to address soil pollution. We will strengthen the prevention of soil pollution and risk management of contaminated plots and expedite the development of a catalogue of contaminated plots and a negative list of plots for development and utilization. We will expand the trials of treatment and restoration of typical contaminated soil and further efforts to investigate and regulate enterprises producing heavy metal pollution so as to promote sustainable use of soil resources. We will enhance capacity building in treatment. We will proactively work with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment to conduct the pilot program for Modernization of Environment Governance System and Capacity and make progress in building the capacity to dispose of garbage, sewage, solid wastes and hazardous wastes in urban and rural areas. We will make efforts to carry out programs to promote environment treatment in industrial parks with the focus on building the capacity of pollutant collection and disposal, clean use of energy and environmental monitoring. We will crack down on all kinds of illegal activities detrimental to the environment in accordance with the law, bring market mechanism and economic leverage into full play and stimulate the internal driving force of various entities to control pollution and reduce emission. We will audit natural resources and assets for outgoing leading officials to encourage them to earnestly fulfill their responsibilities of environmental protection. We will put ecological environment and green development first and follow the strategic orientation of promoting well-coordinated environmental protection and avoiding excessive development. We will take restoration of the Yangtze River ecosystem as top priority, and in this regard, we will put particular emphasis on the treatment of urban sewage and refuse, chemical industrial pollution, vessel and port pollution and agricultural non-point source pollution, and speed up afforestation and restoration of wetland ecosystem on both sides of the Yangtze River in a bid to better protect the clean water in rivers.

6. Making further headway in regional integrated development.

We will give full play to the multiplex advantages brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative, the Yangtze Economic Belt initiative and the initiative for the integration of the Yangtze River Delta and firmly seize opportunities for major development. We will enhance Jiangsu’s competitiveness by implementing and integrating into these national initiatives and spearhead high-quality development. We will vigorously integrate Jiangsu into the development of the Yangtze River Delta. We will strive to align with state authorities, work out better schemes and plans and boost efforts to carry out the Three-Year Action Plan. We will conscientiously implement the Huaihe River Green Economic Belt Development Plan, take solid steps to draw up and implement the Nanjing-Hangzhou Ecological Economic Belt Development Plan, and further the development of the Nanjing-Hangzhou Eco-economic Belt. We will push ahead with the integration on all fronts and strive to achieve better development in this process. We will work to secure solid progress in developing new-type urbanization. We will work hard to advance the construction of city clusters along the Yangtze River in line with the “1+3” key functional zoning plan and improve supporting urban systems. We will promote development of small towns in different ways in accordance with their characteristics and make efforts to push forward coordinated development of cities of different sizes. We will improve functions of Nanjing as the provincial capital and elevate its standing as a central city, speed up the building of Xuzhou as the central city in the Huaihai Economic Zone, and give full play to the role of Suzhou, Wuxi and Nantong as regional central cities that facilitate the development of their surrounding areas. We will expedite Nanjing-Zhenjiang-Yangzhou integration and Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou integration and boost cooperation in industrial park development between south and north Jiangsu. We will further improve urban planning, development and management, accelerate the construction of eco-friendly garden cities and reconstruction of old and shabby communities and forge ahead with the construction of urban underground utility tunnels and sponge cities. We will promote ecological restoration and improvement in cities and make better plans for the use of urban underground spaces. We will strive to create a more pleasant living environment through lean management, better urban functions and make cities more livable. We will move faster to build a modern comprehensive transportation system. We will accelerate the construction of the South Yangtze River Railway and the Lianyungang-Huai’an-Yangzhou-Zhenjiang Railway and finish the main part of the Xuzhou-Suqian-Huai’an-Yancheng Railway. We will work hard to start the construction of the Nanjing-Huai’an Railway, the North Yangtze River High-Speed Railway and the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou Railway. We will start to build the Changzhou-Taixing Yangtze River Bridge and the Longtan Yangtze River Bridge and press ahead with the construction of the Shanghai-Nantong Yangtze River Railway Bridge, the Wufengshan Yangtze River Bridge and the Fifth Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge. We will further improve road networks and put efforts to connect dead-end highways in Jiangsu with those in neighboring provinces. We will accelerate the construction of the phase Ⅱ project of the 300,000-ton channel at Lianyungang Port. We will work on the relocation and construction of the Lianyungang civil airport and the revamping of the Wuxi Shuofang International Airport, and push forward the planning and construction of the Nantong new airport. We will speed up transition from highway to railway and waterway for bulk cargo transportation, and adjust and improve transportation structure. We will strive to develop hub economy, lift regional integrated development to new heights through interconnectivity of transportation infrastructure. We will push forward the work of one-on-one assistance and cooperation and collaboration between east and west China on poverty alleviation.

7. Deepening reform and opening wider to the outside world

As a province benefiting greatly from reform and opening-up, Jiangsu will stick to this path as it strives to take the national lead in achieving high-quality development. We will renew our efforts in supply-side structural reform. We will reinforce what has been achieved in cutting overcapacity, destocking, deleveraging, reducing corporate costs and shoring up weak links, enhance the vitality of micro entities in the market, upgrade the industrial chain, and boost the circulation of national economy. We will guide the phasing out of low-end and inefficient production capacity in line with environmental protection, energy consumption, quality and safety standards, weed out backward production capacity in accordance with laws and regulations and cut overcapacity in steel and iron, cement, and flat glass sectors. We will render more efforts in settling claims and debts as well as the restructuring of “zombie enterprises” and the placement of laid-off employees. We will give context-based guidance and refrain from a “one-size-fits all” approach as we help companies to improve and meet required standards. We will continue to reduce corporate tax burden by carrying out relevant national and provincial policies and regulating corporate-related fees and charges, with the aim of achieving a cost reduction of RMB 160 billion for physical businesses. We will deepen reform in key sectors. We will continue with market-oriented reform, streamline administration, delegate more power to lower levels and providing quality services with a view of breaking institutional barriers that repress the vitality of micro entities. We will further streamline and improve administrative approval services to achieve the goals of “3550” reform. We will push forward reform for interview-free approval (services) and the trial of running approval-free investment projects on the basis of corporate compliance promise. We will strengthen oversight of the whole process of business operations. All business operators in the market are subject to random selection for random check and the result will be made public. We will strengthen the integration and sharing of information and resources by promoting “internet + administrative services”. Special efforts will be given to the county-level pilot reform program in Jiangyin. We will continue with the reform of separating rural land ownership rights, contractual rights and managerial rights, and the reform of collective property rights system. We will ensure proper flow of factors of production between urban and rural areas and encourage private investment in rural areas. We will deepen the reform of state-owned assets and enterprises by shifting from enterprise supervision to capital supervision and carrying forward mixed ownership reform. We will empower state-owned enterprises to emerge bigger and more competitive and appoint professional executives on a trial run. We will invest great efforts in the reform of such key sectors as finance, taxation, investment and financing, science and technology, pricing, natural resources, ecology and environment. We will promote reform and opening up on the basis of our position as the intersection of the Belt and Road. We will open wider to the east and lead the opening-up to the west, facilitate connectivity of land, water and air transportation and integration of marine, land, air, and online channels. We will render special efforts in building Lianyungang as a strategic fulcrum, speed up the construction of the China-Kazakhstan Logistics Base and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization International Logistics Park, and develop the China (Lianyungang) Silk Road International Logistics Expo into a well-known brand, writing a new story of Journey to the West for a new era. We will focus on both “going global” and “brining in” and promote international production capacity cooperation with special emphasis on the development of overseas cooperative parks in the UAE, Cambodia and Ethiopia. Foreign enterprises will be given pre-establishment national treatment and evaluated with a “negative list” approach, which will ensure easier and wider access for foreign investment to Chinese market. We will attach equal importance to the quantity and quality of foreign investment and make sure they are properly used. Priority will be given to advanced manufacturing and modern services. We are particularly interested in bringing in Fortune 500 companies, hidden champions, flagship enterprises and innovative leading enterprises in individual industries and areas. We will give full play to the leadership role of the Suzhou Industrial Park and the Jiangbei New Area, make new progress in building platforms such as the China-Israel Changzhou Innovation Park, China-ROK (Yancheng) Industrial Park, the Kunshan Experimental Zone for Deepening Cross-strait Industrial Cooperation, Huai’an Taiwan Investment Demonstration Zone and the Jiangsu-Macao Cooperation Park. We will facilitate the transformation and upgrading of various development parks and zones and turn them into new testing grounds for reform and opening up.

8. Exploring new ways to improve social governance

We are committed to building a safe and law-based Jiangsu, shifting the focus of social governance to communities and promoting governance of the people, by the people and for the people. We will spare no effort to maintain safety and stability. We will strengthen education on production safety and introduce the strictest possible requirements to ensure that industries shoulder their due responsibilities in this regard. We will launch special campaigns targeting hidden risks in key industries and sectors to ensure progress in production safety. We will strengthen disaster prevention, mitigation and relief by improving and using well the emergency response mechanism with the view of safeguarding public security. We will reinforce the multi-dimensional and IT-based public security system as the foundation for long-term public stability and security, crack down on organized crimes and criminal activities and adopt an approach of grit social governance. Efforts in fighting financial and cyber fraud will be strengthened. We will build an IT-based platform for the scrutiny of vaccine production to ensure its quality and tighten control over food and drug quality as we guard the bottom line of public security. We will do our best to guard against and defuse major risks and resolve social problems. We will remain alert to financial risks and hidden debt risks of local government. We will prevent economic problems from evolving into social problems and forestall regional and systemic risks. We will build institutions for controlling major risks and addressing their root causes and improve mechanisms for thoroughly solving problems and defusing risks in various ways. Leading officials are required to receive people who file complaints, visit communities and be responsible for the handling of complaint cases. A mechanism will be instituted to address complaint backlog on a regular basis. By doing so, we strive to nip problems in the bud, solve problems as they arise and effectively safeguard social stability. Legal aid will be provided to a wider range of people. We will do the work related to ethnic minorities and religions in accordance with laws and regulations. We will strengthen national defense education and explore new ways to mobilize and train reserve forces. We will make military service an occupation that enjoys public respect and handle veteran affairs properly. We will promote new-type military-government and military-civil ties through giving special treatment to servicemen and their family and offering assistance to ex-servicemen as they transfer to civilian jobs.

9. Continuing to improve people’s wellbeing

We will adhere to and conscientiously practice a people-centered development philosophy. In accordance with the requirements of “meeting basic needs, highlighting the most pressing issues, improving institutions and guiding public expectations”, we will take targeted measures to address hotspot and difficult issues in key areas concerning people’s wellbeing and live up to the expectations of the people. We will do a good job in employment which is fundamental to people’s livelihood. We will further improve the comprehensive system of policies for stabilizing employment, promoting entrepreneurship and controlling unemployment, and ensure that key groups of people including college graduates, demobilized military personnel and rural migrant workers have better access to employment. We will implement policies and measures for helping enterprises to reduce layoffs. We will continue to advance the programs of action for mass entrepreneurship and vocational skills improvement and keep employment stable by increasing support for flexible and new forms of employment. Policies and measures including the 33 policies for enriching the people will be introduced to raise people’s income. We will strengthen the social security system, deepen reform of the old-age pension system and improve the system for unified management of pension schemes across the province. We will speed up the improvement of unified management of basic medical insurance within cities, improve the unified system of serious disease insurance benefits and medical assistance for urban and rural residents and ensure that medical insurance benefits are weighted towards needy patients with major and serious diseases. We will strengthen the oversight of medical insurance funds, actively yet prudently promote the reform of centralized drug procurement and medical service pricing, and lower exorbitant drug prices. We will raise urban and rural subsistence allowances, temporary assistance and support to people living in extreme poverty and entitled groups in line with price rises to ensure the basic needs of fellow citizens in straitened circumstances. We will strengthen the connection between government assistance and charity assistance and build a multi-level social security system. We need to work hard to provide education that our people are satisfied with. We will always prioritize education, deepen its reform across the board and accelerate its modernization. We will promote inclusive and balanced development of pre-school education and expand the supply of high-quality resources for basic education. We will strive to develop world-class universities and programs as we work to bring out the full potential of higher education. We will improve vocational education and the lifelong education system. We will implement the “foster virtue through education” program for the new era and strengthen the competence of career teachers. We will address prominent issues in education, strictly regulate the way education is run, and cut excessive homework of primary and secondary school students. We will promote the building of a Healthy Jiangsu. We will strengthen the prevention and control of major diseases, implement the Public Health Improvement Campaign, and set up a number of Healthy Jiangsu demonstration sites. We will develop healthcare consortiums, provide healthcare services through contracted family doctors, and invest more efforts in the cultivation of general practitioners. We will vigorously develop the Internet Plus Healthcare model and build more than 50 online hospitals supported by physical ones. We will improve high-level hospitals and primary healthcare services. Traditional Chinese Medicine will be promoted through inheritance and innovation. We will pursue coordinated development of elderly care undertaking and industry by developing diversified services such as home-based, community-based and institution-based elderly care as well as integrated medical and elderly care services. We will improve housing security. We will see to it that the municipal government shoulder major responsibilities, adjust policies in light of actual conditions and improve relevant market system and security system. We will solve the housing issue of low-income residents and new citizens in urban areas, and ensure sound and healthy development of the real estate market. We will promote cultural prosperity and development. We will press ahead with the building of New-Era Civilization Practice Centers and county-level media convergence centers. We will carry out cultural programs for public good, promote production of cultural and artistic works and propel development of the cultural industry. We will strengthen the protection, inheritance and utilization of cultural heritages and archives, make more documentation about Jiangsu and provide intelligent broadcasting and TV services. We will vigorously promote the construction of the Jiangsu section of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt and the pilot project of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park, and work to make the first Grand Canal Cultural Tourism Expo a great success. We will extensively carry out the Reading for All campaign, fostering a book-loving environment as a brand of Jiangsu. We will deepen the development of all-for-one tourism and promote the integration of culture and tourism. We will coordinate the development of mass sports and competitive sports, and continuously improve the physical quality of teenagers. We will make full preparations for the Tokyo Olympics.

Fellow Deputies,

This year, we will deliver good results in ten areas to satisfy the needs and expectations of the people so that they can see and feel improvement. Medical security will be strengthened. We will increase per capita government subsidies for basic public health services by RMB 10 over the previous year and realize full coverage of prenatal and neonatal screenings. Government subsidies for basic medical insurance schemes will rise by RMB 550 per person in both urban and rural areas. The threshold of insurance payment for serious diseases for poverty-stricken people will be brought down by 50% and the reimbursement ratio will be raised by 5% to 10%. Balanced development of education will be promoted. We will rebuild, revamp and expand 300 kindergartens, 350 compulsory education schools and 30 high schools. After-school care services for elementary and secondary school students will become universally available across the province. We will implement relevant policies to ensure that the average salary of primary and secondary school teachers will not be less than that of local civil servants. Elderly care services will be improved. We will build 150 new district-based daycare centers for the elderly, set up 25,000 new nursing elderly care beds and provide meal, bathing, and cleaning services for 1.4 million home-based elderly people. Six million people over the age of 65 will enjoy one free basic health examination. The care for special groups will be strengthened. We will set up 200 new care centers for rural left-behind children and 100 community service centers for rehabilitation of mental disorders. We will complete the barrier-free renovation for 15,000 low-income families with disabled people. We will establish a credit platform for domestic service enterprises and employees to provide trustworthy housekeeping services to 100,000 families. Public services in urban and rural areas will be improved. We will set up 4,000 village (community) comprehensive cultural service centers, rebuild or upgrade 100 farmer markets, and build another 1,500 community commercial outlets. The number of household users of high-definition digital TV will increase by one million and 300,000 rural recipients of subsistence allowance in economically weak areas will receive subsidies for cable TV viewing and maintenance. We will increase the total coverage rate of bus routes in towns and villages to over 90%. Toilet revolution will be pushed forward with greater efforts. We will build, rebuild and expand 800 public restrooms and 1,165 restrooms for tourists in urban areas, and build 6,000 public restrooms and 50,000 eco-friendly toilets in rural areas. The construction of urban public facilities will be accelerated. We will build 500 kilometers of new fitness trail and 200 sports parks around residential areas. The renovation and upgrading of old residential areas will be promoted. We will complete the comprehensive renovation of 300 old residential areas, install elevators in multistoried buildings for the benefit of the elderly and establish 120 provincial-level demonstration residential areas with a good living environment. We will begin the retrofitting of 220,000 housing units in rundown urban areas and finish half of them in the year. Black and malodorous water bodies will be cleaned up. We will complete 138 projects in this regard and eliminate such water bodies in all our 13 municipalities and all the nine counties in the Taihu Lake basin. We will vigorously improve housing conditions of farmers in north Jiangsu. We will run renovation projects in 620 villages, build public service facilities at the same time and improve housing conditions for 300,000 rural households.

Fellow Deputies,

The new era has presented us with new missions and higher requirements on the government. We must unequivocally uphold political integrity. Remaining true to our original aspiration and keeping our mission firmly in mind, we shall maintain political integrity, think in terms of the big picture, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership. Our confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics shall be reinforced. We vow to resolutely maintain General Secretary Xi Jinping’s position as the core of the CPC Central Committee and the whole Party and uphold the authority of the Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership. We will closely follow the Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in terms of thinking, political orientation and actions. We will commit ourselves to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and use it as guidance for our practice and work. We shall follow Party leadership in every aspect of our work and see to it that the policies of the Central Committee and the instructions and deployment of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee are implemented in real earnest. We must promote law-based administration. We will act on the fundamental principle of law-based governance in every dimension of our work and substantively advance the building of a government based on the rule of law. We must carry out all statutory functions and duties and not do anything not authorized by the law. We should respect, learn, abide by and put into practice the law, ensuring that all government activities are law-based. Restriction and oversight of administrative power must be tightened. Government shall willingly subject itself to legal supervision and work oversight of the Provincial People’s Congress and its Standing Committee, the democratic oversight of the CPPCC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, and judiciary, public and media scrutiny. Vigorous efforts will be made in improving government legislation mechanism and enhancing intra-government oversight, to ensure that power is exercised in the sunshine and transparency is guaranteed on a regular basis. We should further improve government rules and regulations, add more transparency to government affairs and promote government credibility so as to set a good example for the public to follow in pursuing overall social integrity and credibility. We must strengthen capacity building. Fully aware of the importance and urgency of enhancing competency in a fast-changing environment, we shall follow the instructions on enhancing governing capacity made by President Xi Jinping and in the 19th CPC National Congress and press ahead with the building of a learning government. Steps will be accelerated in raising the ability that could live up to the requirements put forward by the new era, new journey and new missions with priority given to enhancing the ability to forestall and defuse major risks so that we can take control when risks emerge. We must improve work style. Always bearing in mind the fundamental goal of wholeheartedly serving the people and regarding the work of benefitting the people as top political achievement, we will reach deep into local communities to consult the people on governance and learn about their needs. We should take the initiative to assume responsibility and keep up a hardworking and enterprising spirit that never ceases. We will firmly fight against the practice of formalities for formalities’ sake and bureaucratism, roll up our sleeves to work harder as part of the efforts to solve the pressing concerns that weigh heavily on people’s minds, and win the trust of the people with practical results in work style improvement and outstanding work performance. We must intensify efforts in the building of a clean government. We shall resolutely act in line with the requirement of comprehensively strengthening Party discipline, perseveringly act on the central Party leadership’s eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct and its implementation rules, and rigorously put into practice the Concrete Measures by the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee for implementing the decision, with steadfast commitment to addressing the practice of formalities for formalities’ sake, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance while promoting a new positive work style. We will improve the system which ensures that officials dare not, cannot and will not become corrupt and that power and officials are subject to the restriction of system with tightened oversight. We will uphold frugality and put public expenses on hospitality, overseas visits and procurement and use of vehicles as well as regular expenditure under strict control. Education on improving Party conduct and upholding integrity will be pushed forward together with fostering the culture of a clean government, so that government employees will always abide by the rigorous rules and disciplines and behave in a clean and honest manner.

Fellow deputies,

Standing at a new starting point with a brighter future beckoning us, we feel on our shoulders glorious missions and enormous responsibilities. Rallying closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, taking Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance, and following the strong leadership of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, we will work with one heart and down-to-earth efforts and forge ahead in full speed against difficulties to spearhead high-quality development. By doing so, we will accelerate the building of a new Jiangsu with prosperity, sustainability and civility and usher in the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China with flying colors.