Southwest China's Sichuan Province is a famous destination for lovers of spicy food and giant pandas. Its capital, Chengdu, has been voted China's happiest city. Part of its long-term plan is fostering innovations in its tech sector. CGTN's Meng Qingsheng speaks with Governor Huang Qiang to find out more about the trajectory of Sichuan's growth.
MENG QINGSHENG CGTN Reporter "Mr. Governor, thank you for making time. China's 14th Five-Year Plan is an important part of this year's Two Sessions. As a deputy to the National People's Congress and Governor of Sichuan, what breakthroughs is the province eyeing to achieve in the next five years?"
HUANG QIANG Governor, Sichuan Province "Our plan covers five key areas.
First, bringing economic growth to a new level. We plan to set an average annual growth rate of 6 percent, with the goal of surpassing 6 trillion yuan. That's 2 trillion yuan more than the current target.
Second, we aim to make new breakthroughs in transportation and other infrastructure. Recently, the CPC Central Committee and the Chinese State Council released the outline of a national multidimensional transport network, which, for the first time, places Chengdu and Chongqing as a regional pillar, along the likes of the Yangtze River Delta region, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
And we aim to make more progress in rural vitalization. In the next five years, consolidating and expanding poverty alleviation results and guaranteeing a smooth transition to rural vitalization are top priorities for China's agriculture sector and rural areas.
Moreover, we will also work to protect ecology and the environment. With its location on the upper reaches of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, Sichuan is an important ecological barrier for the country. We should stick to the path of green development and win the battle against pollution.
We're also committed to improving people's well-being. In the next five years, we aim to increase investment in improving livelihoods, solve problems in employment, healthcare and education, and prioritize challenges and issues the public is most anxious about."
MENG QINGSHENG CGTN Reporter "China is placing a lot of focus on city clusters. Here in the southwest, there's the Chengdu-Chongqing regional economic zone. Right now, people can travel between the two cities in just one hour via the high-speed train. What more can be done to further benefit people in this region?"
HUANG QIANG Governor, Sichuan Province "Sichuan and Chongqing have been closely connected since ancient times. We have established a coordination mechanism with Chongqing. We've also jointly planned and promoted major projects, policies, and reform measures. There will be three aspects of change.
First, transportation will be faster. In December last year, we upgraded the Chengdu-Chongqing High-Speed Railway to better serve commuters. The travel time has been cut down to one hour. This year, we will begin construction on another high-speed railway between the two cities. Once completed, the travel time will be less than 45 minutes.
Second, there will be closer collaboration between different industries. We broke the boundaries of administrative divisions and set up some new provincial-level districts. We've also set up demonstration zones in the areas adjacent to Sichuan and Chongqing. Together, we are building world-class project clusters.
Third, administrative affairs will become more convenient for the public. For example, it used to take more than 10 days for people to transfer their household registration due to the back-and-forth travel between Sichuan and Chongqing. Now, it can be done in just 10 minutes, in either city. This year, we aim to launch more procedures to make things easier."
MENG QINGSHENG CGTN Reporter "Over 70 percent of Fortune 500 Companies have a presence in Sichuan. How does the province plan to further open up, and maintain or even increase its global standing?"
HUANG QIANG Governor, Sichuan Province "Sichuan operates 130 international air routes, and there are 38 major passageways out of Sichuan. Its freight trains connect with 58 cities abroad. Last year, a total of 2,440 freight trains ran between Europe and Chengdu, making it the top route in China for the fourth consecutive year.
Chengdu has 367 sister cities across the globe, and there are 20 consular offices in the Sichuan province. It's also worth mentioning that the Tianfu International Airport will soon be operational. This will make Chengdu the third city after Beijing and Shanghai to have two international airports, and the only one with a direct link between the two facilities.
We invite talents from overseas to come to Sichuan to stand out in their careers and realize their dreams."
MENG QINGSHENG CGTN Reporter "Chengdu city will host the 31st World University Games this year. It's like the Olympics for college athletes. What's the current state of preparation? What changes will this games bring to Sichuan's development in the future?"
HUANG QIANG Governor, Sichuan Province "This year, we celebrate the 100th anniversary the Communist Party of China. The Summer Universiade, which is the first global sports event in the country, will let the whole world see a thriving China, a vibrant Sichuan, and the happy city of Chengdu.
We have carried out preparations in an orderly manner under the guidance and support of the Education Ministry, China's Sports Administration and other relevant departments. We have constructed 13 new venues and revamped 36 others. And they are all ready for use. We are closely monitoring the pandemic and keeping up with prevention and control measures. We're doing our best to prepare, provide services and guarantee the safety of the Games.
We are all ready for vaccinations. We have protective measures in place for volunteers and service personnel. We are confident we will be able to hold a safe and wonderful World University Games!"
MENG QINGSHENG CGTN Reporter "Exciting times are ahead! I look forward to the Games. Thank you again for your time."