The Yangquan High-tech Industrial Development Zone holds a work conference for its 2024 development goals. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

The Yangquan High-tech Industrial Development Zone in Yangquan, North China's Shanxi province, recently held a work conference to announce its high-quality development goals in 2024. 

In 2023, the zone achieved multiple achievements in such aspects as building up a smart city demonstration zone, coordinating development and safety, and continuously improving its ecological environment. It also served as a more prominent engine in terms of promoting digital economy, innovation, industrial development, and social undertakings.

This year, the zone aims to transform into a national-level high-tech zone.

The Baidu Cloud Computing Center in the Yangquan High-tech Industrial Development Zone. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

The zone will forge a transformation path for the new industrialization, creating new manufacturing, service, and business formats. By leveraging innovation platforms and utilizing new policies, the zone will comprehensively nurture innovation entities, so as to accelerate the formation of new quality productive forces.

To activate high-quality internal development dynamics, the zone will create a friendly business environment, promote the development of an open economy, and strengthen the guarantee of supply-side elements.

Specifically, it aims to maintain a fixed asset investment growth rate of over 10 percent with an investment volume exceeding 5 billion yuan ($695.15 million). The zone's investment structure is expected to be further optimized, with industrial investment accounting for over 60 percent and private investment growing at a rate surpassing 10 percent. The zone's foundation for transformation and development will be strengthened, with new infrastructure investment set to grow by 15 percent and the output value of industries above designated size surpassing 7 billion yuan. 

Autonomous cars hit the road in the Yangquan High-tech Industrial Development Zone. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

It will make efforts to realize a 25-percent increase in the added value of strategic emerging industries, and grow the added value of its manufacturing industry to account for over 85 percent of the output value of all industries above designated size. It also aims to increase its total retail sales of consumer goods and foreign trade value by 5.5 percent and 5 percent, respectively. 

Furthermore, the high-tech zone will focus on ensuring people's livelihoods, and will continuously make efforts to increase employment, expand social insurance coverage, provide social assistance for those in need, and ensure price stability and the supply of daily necessities.