City achieves leapfrog growth via blueprint

BEIJING, Aug. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from China Daily:

20-Year Economic and Social Development Strategic Vision sparks enormous increase in GDP and proliferation in tech businesses, and as a pioneer of the Digital China strategy, Fuzhou achieves 790 billion yuan in digital economy in 2024

After in-depth investigation, extensive consultations and multiple revisions, Fuzhou, capital of East China's Fujian province, rolled out the 20-Year Economic and Social Development Strategic Vision in 1992.

Also known as the "3820 strategic project", it outlined the goals, steps and priorities for the city's economic and social development over three, eight and 20 years.

During the Fuzhou congress of the Communist Party of China in August 1995, the goal of "building a modern international city" was officially proposed, which established the general framework and strategy for the medium- and long term development of the city.

Following this blueprint, Fuzhou has made efforts over three decades and achieved leapfrog growth. Its GDP surged to 1.42 trillion yuan ($197.5 billion) in 2024, from 46.4 billion yuan in 1995, ranking it eighth among China's provincial capitals.

As the pioneer of the "Digital China" strategy, Fuzhou has made great strides in high-tech industries.

In 1999 when Fuzhou Software Park was established at the foothills of Wufeng Mountain, there was only one building and some 100 enterprises. Today it consists of seven zones and 173 buildings, attracting three industries of the digital economy — software and information technology service, photoelectric chips and next-generation IT.

Rockchip Electronics, founded in the park in 2001, has become one of China's leading integrated circuit design companies focused on the internet of things. Its products are widely recognized in the machine vision and automotive electronics industries.

The scale of Fuzhou's digital economy reached 790 billion yuan in 2024, representing 56 percent of GDP.

The city's traditional industries have also undergone transformation and upgrading, driven by scientific and technological innovation.

In Changle district, the city's textile center, nearly 700 businesses and more than 10,000 machines have been connected to the Fujian (Changle) textile industrial internet platform.

"The platform utilizes artificial intelligence-driven terminal devices to monitor our tricot machines and automatically adjust parameters. Compared with the past, it has reduced downtime by 10 percent and lowered operating costs by 15 percent by optimizing material consumption and working-hour allocation," said Liu Tianzhen, general manager of Fujian Jiegao Textile.

As a national marine economy development demonstration zone, Fuzhou has led the country in fishery output value for 30 years. It is also China's second-largest producer of aquatic products.

Lianjiang county, known as China's hometown of abalone, contributes one third of the nation's total abalone farming output.

The county has opened 11 deep-sea aquaculture facilities, accelerating its shift toward "smart fishing". Of them, Fubao No 1, equipped with smart monitoring systems and a windproof structure, can produce 45 metric tons of abalone annually.

As a key city on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Fuzhou has actively integrated into China's new development paradigm, expanding its opening-up and international cooperation.

Focused on reform and innovation, the Fuzhou Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone has released 114 pioneering measures since it was founded in 2015, 25 of which have been replicated and promoted nationwide.

Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-Indonesia "Two Countries, Twin Parks" project has played a vital role in promoting bilateral economic and trade exchanges, based on the Fuzhou Yuanhong Investment Zone in the county-level city of Fuqing, as well as industrial parks in Bintan, Aviarna, and Badung, Indonesia.

By 2024, the investment zone had attracted 73 collaborative projects, with total investment of 93 billion yuan.

In partnership with Salim Group, Saneheld (Fuqing) Food is developing a marine fisheries center in Indonesia. So far, two production bases have been built in Tuban city.

Zhaohua Aquatic Food has invested in a 400-hectare Pacific white shrimp farm, ensuring a stable supply of frozen shrimps from Indonesia to Fuzhou for deep processing, cutting production costs.

The investment zone is now constructing a food industry park covering 4.53 hectares, which is expected to start operations in 2026 and inject impetus into its food industry.

SOURCE China Daily