Global Times: How to convert overlapping advantages into robust development momentum

BEIJING, Aug. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Development advantages are generated under specific historical conditions and change as these conditions evolve.

In present China, there are overlapping strategies in various regions. Harnessing these overlapping strategic benefits has become one of the highlights of high-quality development in various provinces during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25).

The Central Economic Work Conference has put forward the task of "fully harnessing the synergy between the coordinated regional development strategy, major regional strategies, and the functional zoning strategy, so as to actively foster new growth poles."

The question of how to convert these overlapping strategic advantages into robust development momentum is a key topic for all regions to actively explore during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, emphasized that "as far as industrial development is concerned, provinces and cities along the Yangtze River should tap into their own development potential and find their own distinctive strength on the one hand, and coordinate with each other and foster connectivity between them on the other," according to the Xinhua News Agency. This profound statement reveals the essence of development dialectics.

Anhui, once labeled as "neither eastern nor western," has become a province boasting overlapping strategic advantages in the new era. Last year, its GDP surpassed 5 trillion yuan ($695 billion), having consecutively broken through the trillion-yuan mark for four times over the past decade or so. Its foreign trade volume and innovation capabilities have made remarkable progress.

In the first half of this year, the production of both automobiles and new-energy vehicles (NEVs) in Anhui ranked first in the nation. The revenue of automotive industry-chain enterprises in Anhui exceeded 1.5 trillion yuan last year, maintaining a growth rate of over 20 percent for two consecutive years. One out of every four automobiles exported by China is "made in Anhui."

As the material and technological cornerstone of a modern nation, a modern industrial system holds the key to the rise or fall of great nations. But how can an industrial system be modernized? The rapid growth of Anhui's NEV industry vividly demonstrates that "higher strategic priority must be given to fostering new-quality productive forces in line with local conditions"

Differentiated development

To better coordinate national strategies as a "single chessboard," break the cycle of "involution-style" competition, and address issues like industrial homogenization, the key lies in finding the right positioning in the overall national situation and giving full play to overlapping strategies.

Understanding the strategic intentions of the CPC Central Committee and implementing the General Secretary's strategic blueprint of "three hubs and one zone," Anhui has remained steadfast in pursuing innovation-driven development and achieving progress through quality growth, positioning the NEV industry as a key engine for fostering new quality productive forces. This reflects a well-calibrated strategy that aligns broad vision with targeted actions.

"Adapt to local conditions, and each place has its own unique advantages."

"To an outsider, Anhui boasts a solid industrial foundation; to an industry insider, Hefei's interconnected sectors form a complete ecosystem; to an entrepreneur, talent is never in short supply here." "Compared to other cities, shipping a finished vehicle from Hefei nationwide significantly cuts logistics costs." In the eyes of entrepreneurs, Anhui possesses many unique advantages.

Shanghai has a concentration of leading enterprises and strong innovation and R&D capabilities, Jiangsu has a large-scale parts and components industry, and Zhejiang has an advanced private economy and a vibrant innovation ecosystem. How to avoid "homogenization"?

Anhui, strategically located in the Yangtze River Delta region's "4-hour industrial cluster" and with its geographical advantages, has positioned itself as the region's "super connector," reshaping the automotive industry landscape.

Jiangsu, focusing on "four key pillars," is committed to building a globally influential hub for industrial and technological innovation, demonstrating "greater responsibility" in implementing national strategies and contributing to the country's overall development.

Heilongjiang, upholding its role as the "ballast of national food security," has ranked first in national grain output for 15 consecutive years, filling "China's rice bowl" with more high-quality "Heilongjiang grain."

By acting in alignment with national strategies, leveraging comparative advantages, and pursuing differentiated development paths, all regions can combine their strengths to generate powerful momentum for the nation's development.

Coordination, integration

From the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and efforts to strengthen ecological protection and collaboration across the Yellow River Basin, to greater emphasis on enhancing coordination in advancing the marine economy, the concept of synergistic development lies at the heart of coordinated regional development.

The General Secretary emphasized the need to focus on strengthening regional coordination and integration. Provinces and cities along the Yangtze River should keep to inter-provincial consultation and joint ecological conservation, and make sure that all localities are on board with their shared development initiatives for the benefit of all. Efforts should be made to enhance regional connectivity, consistency in policies and rules, and coordination in their implementation, so as to steadily build a community for ecological conservation and shared interests, and promote coordinated regional development, according to Xinhua. The important remarks embody the fundamental requirements of coordinated and integrated development.

Taking the Yangtze River Delta as an example, effective coordination hinges on sound mechanisms.

At the regional level, the focus is on integration and high-quality development.

In 2003, Xi, then secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the CPC, proposed establishing a regular meeting mechanism among top officials of the Yangtze River Delta region. Today, from high-level forums to economic coordination meetings and thematic cooperation sessions — and now with the establishment of the Yangtze River Delta Regional Cooperation Office — the mechanism regularly lists tasks and sets priorities.

More than a hundred provincial-level innovation mechanisms have taken shape. Cities in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang have paired up with cities in northern Anhui for targeted cooperation and assistance, all reflecting Anhui's deep integration into the Yangtze River Delta region.

At the provincial level, emphasis is placed on top-level design and overall coordination.

In July 2023, Anhui established a provincial automobile office, which operates as a fully functional entity without adding any new official positions.

Anhui has issued guidelines on building NEV industry clusters and implemented provincial regulations to support their development. The province has optimized internal industrial coordination, set up supply-demand matchmaking platforms, and worked to avoid disorderly competition while strengthening the resilience of the industrial and supply chains.

Anhui promotes integrated development across whole vehicles, parts, and the aftermarket, bringing together 7 automakers, over 3,000 large-scale parts suppliers, and more than 1,700 aftermarket firms to build a complete automotive industry chain.

As the twin engines of Anhui's auto industry, Hefei and Wuhu take the lead in vehicle R&D and assembly, while Chuzhou, Ma'anshan, and Xuancheng focus on parts manufacturing and battery material supply. Fiscal, investment, consumption and other policies work in tandem, and the government actively promotes market efficiency.

Seizing opportunities

To break the mindset of being confined to "one's own small plot of land," it's imperative to adhere to open development, and "seize opportunities from all sides" within major national development strategies.

The General Secretary stressed the need for Anhui to comprehensively expand opening up within the country and to the outside world. It demonstrates a systematic approach to addressing the interconnected issues of internal and external development.

Vividly demonstrating how regions are joining forces to advance shared goals aligned with top-level design, NEVs and integrated circuits are developing in tandem, while also converging with emerging sectors such as the low-altitude economy, embodied intelligence, and next-generation displays. Efforts are also underway to foster county-level auto parts industry clusters, enhancing the sector's overall driving force.

Leveraging east-west cooperation between Guangdong and Guizhou Province, the prickly pears from Guizhou have grown into a "10-billion-yuan fashion industry," supported by integrated efforts in technology, talent, and marketing from Guangdong.

Promoting integrated urban-rural development and stronger regional connectivity continues to generate fresh momentum for high-quality development.

In vivid practice of the "sweet potato economy" theory, joint efforts are made to build a river-sea direct transport system and establish an integrated supervision and operation model with Shanghai Port.

The successful establishment of the Hefei China-Europe Railway Express consolidation hub and the launch of the Wuhu Taqiao multimodal transport base have helped deepen global industrial chain integration under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Opening-up empowers inland regions to shift from the "rear" to new development "frontiers."

Leveraging the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is accelerating its transformation into a key gateway for westward opening-up and a vital hub along the Eurasian transport route. Meanwhile, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is embracing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to the east and strengthening ties with ASEAN to the south, charting a new course of maritime-driven development.

Strengthening synergies and actively integrating into a fully open framework that connects land and sea, connects domestic and international markets, and facilitates east-west two-way flows helps open up new avenues for development.

On the new journey, regions across China are deeply integrating into the new development paradigm, turning strategic advantages into robust development momentum. And the potential for comprehensively advancing Chinese modernization through high-quality development is unlimited.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202508/1340259.shtml

SOURCE Global Times