Robots weld cars on the production line of SGM-Dongyue in Yantai Huang-Bohai New Area. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

High-quality development is the truth of the new era and Shandong has been fully adhering to the new development philosophy, serving and integrating into the new development pattern, and is striving to write a new chapter in high-quality development, said Lin Wu, deputy to the National People's Congress and Party chief of Shandong.

The industrial sector is central to high-quality development, which is why the province is focusing on building a modern industrial system, Lin added. Shandong's regional GDP reached 9.2 trillion yuan ($1.27 trillion) in 2023, an increase of 6 percent year-on-year, with continuous improvement in economic quality and efficiency.

According to Lin, with its strong industrial system, Shandong aims to accelerate the cultivation of modern industries by focusing on high-end, intelligent, green, and cluster development. Traditional industries will prioritize quality and efficiency improvement, while emerging industries will focus on clustering and agglomeration. Future industries will be prioritized for preemptive layout.

Developing new quality productive forces is essential for high-quality development, and to this end Shandong is leveraging its rich innovation resources and pioneering green transformation, Lin said.

Shandong will strengthen sci-tech innovation, accelerate the construction of a number of high-level innovation platforms, and implement a number of major sci-tech innovation projects. The province will promote green transformation by developing new energy and renewable energy on the supply side, boosting green transformation of enterprises through standard upgrading, and implementing green and low-carbon campaigns on the consumption side. In addition, it is focusing on digital industrialization and industrial digitalization and promoting the integration of the digital economy and the real economy, Lin added.

Lin pointed out that Shandong will promote high-level opening-up and unswervingly expand the space for high-quality development. The province is set to accelerate the construction of a new pattern of high-level opening-up that promotes mutual progress of external, internal, and institutional opening-up.

In terms of external opening-up, Shandong will further consolidate traditional markets, expand emerging markets, and develop new business forms such as service trade and digital trade. In terms of internal opening-up, it will improve the institutional mechanism and allow all kinds of elements and resources to flow smoothly and efficiently. As for institutional opening-up, it will strengthen the fair competition mechanism for various business entities and deepen reforms, Lin said.

Safety is crucial part of development. Shandong will resolutely prevent and defuse risks and challenges in local government debt, the financial sector, and real estate. It will coordinate efforts to ensure food, energy, ecological, and production safety, Lin added.

To promote high-quality development, no effort should be spared. We must fully support and encourage officials to take the initiative, localities to innovate, enterprises to take action, and the people to be creative in carrying out various tasks, Lin said.