A People-centered Approach to Urbanization

delivering innovation. The market should play the decisive role in allocating resources, and the full potential of our socialist system should be tapped. The strategy also seeks to enhance the contribution of scientific and technological advances to economic growth, which will serve as a new growth driver and help sustain sound economic development. As we implement the innovation-driven development strategy, we must open our minds and accelerate the reform of the science and technology system, so that we can free ourselves from the stereotyped thinking and institutional barriers that hinder innovation-driven development.

The strategy must be implemented in a systematic manner involving efforts in different areas. The main measures to be taken to this end include creating a favorable environment for fair competition with a market-based mechanism that encourages technological innovation. It is also essential to promote financial innovation to provide more incentives for innovative uses of technology.

Another area of focus is building more efficient scientific research system, and implementing an effective talent management mechanism for training and attracting competent personnel. A highly-integrated approach is necessary to ensure an open and innovation-friendly climate.

China seeks to have in place by 2020 an institutional, legal and policy framework for innovation-driven development so as to provide a solid basis to put China on track to become one of the world’s most innovative countries. Never in history has a developing country as large as China, with a population of nearly 1.4 billion, attempted to engineer a well-managed process of urbanization. China can no longer follow the beaten track of inefficient and blinkered development relying on borrowed money - this damages the environment and results in an imbalance between the needs of the population and land resources. That path will lead the country nowhere.

At this juncture, China must follow a new path to urbanization and choose the right direction. The people-centered urbanization drive is based on China’s realities in the primary stage of socialism. It is a choice that meets our development imperatives and enables us to make the best use of opportunities available to bring assured success to this process.

A people-centered approach is indispensable if we want to achieve the best results of urbanization. Appropriate plans should be worked out to ensure that towns and cities of all sizes complement each other with well-defined functions for coordinated development. Ecofriendly measures will be effectively implemented in our push for green, circular and low-carbon development. Special care must be taken to preserve traditional culture in our effort to redevelop cities and towns with historical landmarks and local or ethnic features. Quality should be the first priority in the process of urbanization, with more emphasis on increasing the urbanization rate of residents with household registration, providing adequate public services in equal measure to both rural and urban areas and building a more accordable and livable environment in towns and cities where people feel that they are well-served and happy with their life.

The Yangtze River Economic Belt

At its meeting on March 25, 2016, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee approved the Guidelines for Development Along the Yangtze River Economic

Belt, which covers 11 municipalities and provinces Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou. The guidelines set the following goals to be achieved by 2020: marked improvement in environment, with effective protection and proper use of water resources; more efficient utilization of the Yangtze River waterway, with major constraints removed and transportation capacity enhanced; significant progress in innovation-driven growth as a large number of world-class businesses and industrial clusters take shape, with enhanced capability to compete in international markets; greater openness to the outside world on all fronts, with overall planning for regional and marine economic activities, emphasis on both domestic and international markets, and close integration with efforts in the Belt and Road Initiative; greater coordination and sustainability, with development activities in different areas well-planned and properly implemented; significant progress in reform in key areas, with a well-coordinated and efficient management system and an open and unified market for the Yangtze River basin; and considerable qualitative improvement in economic development, with an initial capacity established that will allow the region to provide important support to national economic and social development.

In addition, the guidelines also set the goals for 2030: overall improvement in the quality of water environment and the aquatic ecosystem; markedly enhanced ecological functions; completion of the development of the Yangtze River with navigable rivers and waterways; an innovation-intensive industrial system; integrated development in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River; a better environment and dynamic economic activities; higher living standards; and a stronger position for the region to play a role of pilot and provide important support to national economic and social development.

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