Capital leads country in high-quality development
Beijing ranks first among 50 major cities across China in terms of high-quality development, according to a recent report.
The 2024 edition of the Beijing High-Quality Development Report, released at a seminar in early March, reviewed Chinese cities whose GDP ranked among the country’s top 50 in 2022. It found that Beijing leads the country in the high-quality development index.
Beijing’s high-quality development index has reported healthy growth momentum, rising from 0.65 in 2013 to 0.91 in 2022, a jump of 30.33 percent during the period, with an average annual increase of 3.75 percent.
Judging from the dimensions of economics, society, ecology, innovation, culture and governance, Beijing is at the forefront of the country, according to the report.
High-quality development is consistent with high-efficiency development and innovation provides an effective approach to driving highefficiency development, said Jia Pinrong, director of the High-Quality Development Research Center at the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology.
Beijing strives to develop itself into a key source of China-developed innovations. It gives full play to its advantages in education, technology and personnel, focusing on major original innovations and core technological breakthroughs, and prioritizing fundamental research, said Zhang Jihong, director of the Beijing Science and Technology Commission and the Administrative Commission of Zhongguan Science Park.
To sharpen its edge in future industries, the city puts emphasis on the six fronts of information, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, materials and space, with a focus on 20 sectors such as artificial general intelligence, 6G, smart travel and quantum information.
Government data show Beijing is home to more than 300 “little giant” manufacturing businesses at national level, whose added industrial value reported an increase of 15.2 percent in 2023 from a year earlier.
A little giant business refers to a small or medium-sized enterprise that spots a niche in the market, is strong in innovation capacities, has a high market share, masters core technologies and stands out for product quality and profit.
“Technological innovation is the greatest multiplier for the highquality development of Beijing,” said Jiang Guangzhi, director of the Beijing Bureau of Economy and Information Technology. Jiang added that the city will continue to improve infrastructure construction for new quality productive forces, leverage the momentum of the digital economy, build future industrial advantages and promote the high-quality development of the economy and society.