Multiple provincial-level regions across China have identified boosting technological innovation and improving the business environment as their top priorities during meetings on February 5, the first official working day after the Spring Festival holidays, displaying firm resolve to promote high-quality development. Huang Kunming, Party Secretary of Guangdong province, said that as the largest provincial economy, Guangdong should play a leading and demonstration role in boosting the modernization of the industrial system. Among other things, the province will make concentrated efforts in artificial intelligence (AI) and robots so as to foster new growth drivers featuring advanced technologies, high growth rates and a large industrial volume. Additionally, Guangdong will implement major special projects to strengthen the province's chip industry and strive for breakthroughs in core software, Huang said. Guangdong's “first meeting” also invited representatives of many enterprises, especially from the private sector, including Midea Group, according to the China Media Group.
Anhui province focused on new quality productive forces. The meeting stressed the need to actively seize crucial opportunities in the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, lead the development of new quality productive forces with tech innovation, and accelerate the modernization of the industrial system. “These first meetings after the holidays underscore the importance local governments attach to economic growth in 2025, and their moves to highlight developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions is an important focus of promoting high-quality development,” Wan Zhe, Economist and Professor at the Belt and Road School of Beijing Normal University, told the Global Times. Since the beginning of 2025, a package of incremental policies has shown positive effects, which, along with the development of new quality productive forces and a continuously improving business environment, will ensure that the world's second-largest economy will maintain sustainable growth in 2025, Wan said.
Continuously improving the business environment was also a priority in the first meetings of several provincial-level regions. For example, Shanghai held a meeting focused on optimizing the business environment, and issued an action plan on building a world-class business environment. Liaoning province's “first meeting” also focused on continuously improving the business environment, and drew the attendance of foreign-funded companies, private enterprises and individual businesses.
