On October 17, the Publicity Department of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party and the Shanxi Provincial Government’s Information Office held the third press conference in the series themed “Promoting High-Quality Development and Deepening Comprehensive Transformation.” During the event, officials from the Shanxi Provincial Department of Commerce detailed the province’s progress and initiatives.
Wang Hongjin, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Commerce, remarked, “We are fully committed to advancing the construction of the ‘1+11’ transformation and comprehensive reform demonstration zones. We have identified 13 provincial-level specialized consumer goods parks. The role of the development zones as key engines for growth is becoming increasingly apparent. The 71 industrial development zones across the province occupy only 1.85% of the land area, yet they contribute significantly, accounting for 34.7% of the province’s industrial added value and 52% of industrial investment.”
The press conference highlighted the establishment of 11 comprehensive reform demonstration zones across various municipalities in Shanxi, including Taiyuan’s Zhongbei High-tech Zone, Datong Economic Development Zone, and others. Deputy Director of the Commerce Department, Hou Xiangjun, explained, “Together with the Shanxi Transformation and Comprehensive Reform Demonstration Zone in the Taiyuan area, we have formed a complete ‘1+11’ system of demonstration zones statewide.”
Since their establishment, the provincial leadership has placed high importance on this initiative. Hou mentioned, “The provincial government and relevant departments have been collaborating to draft an implementation plan to support high-quality development in these demonstration zones, which will be issued shortly.” He added that municipalities are accelerating the pace of construction in these zones to leverage their role in promoting high-quality development and comprehensive transformation, thus fostering new productive forces.
To date, the “1+11” demonstration zones have achieved an industrial added value of 46.8 billion yuan, outpacing the provincial growth rate for industrial added value in development zones by 3.6 percentage points. They have also completed industrial investments totaling 39.7 billion yuan, exceeding the overall growth rate by 17.5 percentage points, demonstrating a significant impact on the province’s economy.
Looking ahead, the Shanxi Provincial Department of Commerce plans to deepen the three key areas of specialization, marketization, and internationalization within the demonstration zones. They will prioritize support for zones with solid economic foundations and high development potential, aiming to cultivate one to two new industrial clusters characterized by advanced productive forces, particularly in the fields of intelligent and digital development. There will also be a focus on strengthening innovation ecosystems and fostering collaboration among government, industry, academia, and research institutions, encouraging the implementation of critical technological innovations within development zones. Efforts will also continue to establish partnerships between transformation and reform demonstration zones and advanced development areas in other provinces to further elevate the quality of development in these zones.
