Lei Jiankun (right) speaks at the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing, on March 7. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

Lei Jiankun, a national lawmaker and top official in Yangquan city – located in North China's Shanxi province – recently urged the Ministry of Science and Technology to give the city preferential support.

She said this would be for creating a national innovation-oriented city and a national high-tech zone – making her remarks at the ongoing fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) being held in the national capital of Beijing until March 11.

Lei said she had made up her mind about the development goals of the city, which had once primarily relied on its natural resources for economic and industrial growth.

She said that Yangquan would now explore low-carbon development paths and undertake measures that focused on an optimized energy infrastructure, the cluster development of emerging industries, the development of the digital economy, as well as innovation-driven development.

Moreover, the city would further its comprehensive energy reforms, build 5G-based intelligent mines and promote the application of green mining technology.

Targeting new energy batteries, new carbon-based and new non-ferrous metals, new semiconductors, and new green building materials sectors, Lei said the city would extend the industrial supply chain of the new materials industry. 

Five major projects – including digital infrastructure, digital product manufacturing and digital governance improvements – would be further implemented. 

Furthermore, the city would accelerate its utilization of industrial solid waste – such as fly ash, coal gangue and industrial by-product gypsum – and promote the formation of circular economy industrial clusters.

In addition, it would incubate more innovative business entities, upgrade innovative platforms, recruit innovative talent and boost innovative culture – to help with the technological transformation of local traditional industries.