—Delivered at the Sixth Session of the Ninth People's Congress of Huai'an City on January 21, 2026

Gu Kun, Mayor of Huai'an Municipal People's Government

Distinguished deputies,

On behalf of the Huai'an Municipal People's Government, I will now report to you on the work of the government for your deliberation and approval, and also for comments from members of the Huai'an Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and other attending comrades.

I. Review of Work in 2025 and Development during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period

The year 2025, now behind us, was one of determined endeavor and extraordinary significance. Faced with a severe and complex external environment alongside the arduous tasks of reform, development, and stability, we steadfastly adhered to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We thoroughly studied and implemented the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and all plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee. We comprehensively acted upon President Xi Jinping's important directives for Jiangsu's work and his sincere expectations for Huai'an. Diligently implementing the decisions and deployments of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee and the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government, as well as the work requirements of the CPC Huai'an Municipal Committee, we pressed forward with tangible commitment. As a result, we accomplished the primary targets and tasks for the year, achieving a successful conclusion of the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Our regional GDP grew by 5.9% for the year, ranking first in the province. Among the 20 key economic indicators for which provincial rankings are currently available, 13 recorded growth rates placing us within the top three provincially, with 5 of them recording our top position.

(I) We implemented targeted policies to stabilize economic operations. This includes carefully implementing a series of policies issued by the central and provincial governments to stabilize growth, timely introducing targeted measures such as investment expansion, consumption stimulation, and foreign trade stabilization, and achieving steady progress with practical strategies. Our effective investment played a significant role. The growth rate of our industrial investment reached 10%, the second highest in the province, and our fixed-asset investment growth rate ranked third in the province. The annual investment plan fulfillment rate reached 128% and 110%, respectively, among 29 key provincial projects and 399 key municipal industrial projects, with all these projects achieving their annual targets 2 months ahead of schedule. We secured RMB 20.8 billion in various funds from higher authorities, and our funds for major national strategy implementation and security capabilities building in key areas were the second largest in the province. We continued to release consumption vitality. By vigorously implementing a special campaign to boost consumption, we increased the total retail sales of consumer goods by 4.4%. We distributed RMB 890 million in trade-in funds for consumer goods, boosting consumption by about RMB 13 billion. Activities such as the "Explore Huai'an with Excitement" cultural tourism consumption season were carefully held, and the ticket-stub economy was expanded with high-quality events. The number of tourists and tourism revenue increased by 13.5% and 12.8%, respectively. The opening of the inaugural MixC shopping mall in northern Jiangsu was met with exceptional popularity. The quality of foreign trade and investment improved while maintaining stability. We vigorously implemented the "Huai'an Products to Go Global" initiative, achieving a 6.4% increase in total import and export value, ranking first among Tier-III regions. Our exports alone grew by 10.5%. Our cross-border e-commerce imports and exports surged by 40.8%, rising to the fourth position in the province. The utilization of foreign investment in the manufacturing industry doubled. The number of newly established Taiwan-funded projects with a total investment of more than USD 10 million and the amount of agreed Taiwan-funded projects ranked first and second in the province, respectively. Finance and taxation were running steadily. The general public budget revenue increased by 3%, in which the local retained tax increased by 4.3%, accounting for 77.6%, higher than the provincial average. The deposit-to-loan ratio of financial institutions was 128%, 26 percentage points higher than the provincial record. The loan balance of the manufacturing industry increased by 17.4%, ranking first in the province for three consecutive years. Hanbon Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd. successfully made its debut on the STAR Market; 72 enterprises were listed on the provincial special board for specialized, sophisticated, distinctive, and innovative enterprises, with the number of newly listed enterprises being the highest in the province for two consecutive years.

(II) We sped up the pace of building a strong industrial city. Continuous efforts were made to tackle key project challenges. We continued to intensify investment attraction and capital selection, precisely and directionally bringing in partners while sending normalized task teams out. We strengthened "five-stage" lifecycle management for projects. Throughout the year, 1,006 new projects across industries were signed, each worth more than RMB 100 million, 573 commenced construction, and 489 were completed, averaging 19, 11, and 9 projects per week, respectively. Industrial projects accounted for 85% of the total. Currently, 55 industrial projects exceeding RMB 3 billion are under construction, including 17 above the level of RMB 10 billion. Among these, 29 projects exceeding RMB 3 billion and 12 projects above the level of RMB 10 billion have been completed and put into operation. Our industrial economy grew more quickly with improved efficiency. The increase in the added value of industrial enterprises above the designated size was 8.1%, the highest in the province; the increase in industrial invoices was 9.3%, the third highest in the province; the increase in industrial electricity consumption was 7.8%, the second highest in the province. Through tailored policies for each industry, we precisely cultivated clusters of strategic emerging industries under the "353" initiative: 3 clusters each worth over RMB 100 billion, 5 clusters each worth over RMB 50 billion, and 3 clusters each worth over RMB 10 billion. The output value of industrial clusters above the designated size increased by 9.1%, and that of next-generation information technology exceeded RMB 100 billion for the first time. The number of specialized, sophisticated, distinctive, and innovative enterprises recognized at national and provincial levels increased by 10 and 224, respectively, accounting for one-third and two-thirds of the total over the years. The number of newly approved provincial gazelle enterprises reached 19, hitting a record high. The number of new provincial industrial Internet platforms reached 19, exceeding the total over the years. In addition, 103 advanced intelligent factories were recognized at the provincial level; Qingding Precision Electronics was recognized as a national excellent intelligent factory; Avary Holding's new project, worth over RMB 10 billion, was the largest single investment by Taiwan enterprises in the Chinese mainland last year. Our innovation capability continuously improved. The proportion of high-tech industries in output value increased by 2.7 percentage points, and the R&D investment of enterprises above the designated size increased by 15%. The number of new technology-based industrial projects reached 572, up 22%. The number of national-level high-tech enterprises exceeded 1,000, reaching 1,080. The Huai'an Branch of the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute was officially put into operation; the "Use First. Pay Later" reform was explored and implemented for scientific and technological achievements; an integrated open sharing platform was innovatively built for scientific research instruments and equipment; the attapulgite clay industry in Xuyi became one of the first industries included in the provincial regional innovation engine program. The number of our talent teams included in the National Key Talent Project and the provincial "Innovation and Entrepreneurship Plan," respectively, ranked first in Tier-III regions. Our business environment was further optimized. We implemented 10 initiatives to enhance the efficiency of business environment services. Meanwhile, 12 measures were selected for the provincial annual business environment reform pilot program, and 3 were recognized as exemplary cases, both figures ranking first in the province. The ratio of total logistics cost to GDP was dynamically maintained at a regional low level. We achieved city-wide inter-departmental handling for 120 types of integrated services, with the figure being the highest in the province. We continuously improved the standardization of administrative law enforcement, reducing the number of enterprise inspections by 51% and penalties by 36%. Our "Three Specializations and Three Reductions" (specialized inspections on enterprise-focused administrative law enforcement, specialized campaigns for standardizing enterprise-focused administrative inspections, and specialized legal accountability reporting on enterprise-focused administrative law enforcement; reduced administrative inspections, reduced administrative regulation frequency, and reduced penalty burdens) approach in administrative law enforcement was recognized as a national model for optimizing the business environment. Our "Legal Support for Huai'an Businesses Empowering Enterprises and Associations" initiative was selected as a national exemplary case of legal construction in the private economy. Our index of local private enterprises' satisfaction with the business environment ranked first in the province.

(III) We focused on improving the quality and efficiency of urban construction management. This includes steadily advancing urban renewal. We implemented 62 key central city construction projects in five categories, with an investment of RMB 12.17 billion. We renovated 68 old residential compounds and 1,111 urban villages. Guolian No.1 Sewage Treatment Plant was completed and put into operation, the main body of the expansion project of Chengnan Waterworks was completed, the city-county integrated supervision platform for urban lifeline safety engineering was put into operation, and a preliminary multi-source, single-network heating pipeline network was built. We advanced "flood-free and waterlogging-free" urban construction, with 7 annual projects completed and put into use, effectively improving the flood control and drainage capacity of urban areas. Focusing on "two areas, two belts, and one corridor," we made solid progress in the governance of urban "grey space," comprehensively utilized 9,800 mu (653.33 hectares) of idle land, and added 800,000 square meters of open shared green space. The "Four Enhancements and Four Improvements" initiative for property management was implemented, the emergency use mechanism of maintenance funds was optimized, and the number of property complaints by the 12345 hotline decreased by 26.7%. Our comprehensive transportation system continuously improved. Huai'an Port Phase III Automated Terminal, Huangma Port Smart Harbor, and other supporting projects of industrial functions were completed. The river-sea container route to Shanghai Port, the Huai'an-Osaka all-cargo flight route, and the "point-to-point" photovoltaic component express freight railway route to Xinjiang were opened. Our inland waterway container throughput remained the highest in the province, our foreign trade container volume increased by 37.7%, and cargo throughput at Lianshui Airport increased by nearly 70%. Our "Huaishui Runqi" Party-building alliance was selected as one of the top ten cases of "service enterprises at the grass-roots level" by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Our integrated transport network connecting ports and parks, our port-industry-city integration practice, our port economic model in which ports serve as front-end hubs for industries, and our rural passenger-cargo-mail transport integration were selected at the ministerial and provincial levels as typical pilot cases of building a strong transportation country. The Huai'an section of Provincial Highway 264 was basically completed, and the southern Lianshui section was fully under construction, laying a solid foundation for accelerating the construction of the Huai'an bypass section of Nanjing-Lianyungang Highway. We implemented the smooth traffic project, and our smooth traffic index remained among the top in China. Our ecological environment saw ongoing improvements. We completed the annual rectification of issues identified by the central inspection team for ecological environment protection and the warning video of the Yangtze River Economic Belt; enterprises in the southwestern chemical industrial area were all shut down and relocated. We implemented 320 key projects for atmospheric pollution control. The concentration of PM2.5 was reduced by 5.9%, representing the second-largest improvement margin in the province. Our ozone concentration level remained the best in the province for the fourth consecutive year. We strengthened the protection and sustainable utilization of the Grand Canal, deepening the three-year comprehensive ecological environment improvement campaign along the route. We took the lead in the province to introduce a water source security plan for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. The proportion of our national and provincial monitoring sections meeting Grade II water quality standards remained the highest in northern Jiangsu for the fifth consecutive year. The Sanhe sluice was recognized as a national outstanding case of beautiful rivers and lakes. In addition, there were 81 new provincial-level green factories, a record high over the years, and there were 3 new provincial-level green industrial parks, built for full coverage of the city. The liquor company King's Luck was rated as one of the first zero-carbon factories in Jiangsu Province.

(IV) We steadily moved forward with all-around rural revitalization. The foundation of our agricultural development was further consolidated. We newly reconstructed 373,000 mu (24,866.67 hectares) of high-standard farmland, ranking first among Tier-III regions in permanent basic farmland. We added 84,000 mu (5,600 hectares) of core bases for high-quality rice farming to overcome the adverse effects of summer drought and autumn waterlogging, and our total grain output maintained steady growth. We won an excellent grade in the annual assessment by the provincial government for arable land protection and the food security responsibility system. The output value of "five clusters and eight chains" in modern agriculture increased by 7%, and the Xuyi Lobster National Geographical Indication Protection Demonstration Area was approved and established. We implemented 49 water conservancy projects, with a total investment of RMB 5.75 billion. The Huaihe River Seaward Waterway Phase II Project was smoothly promoted. The development efficiency of our ecological agriculture was further improved. We systematically implemented 188 green-cycle projects. The annual tasks of utilizing agricultural drainage, aquaculture tailwater, and livestock manure were overfulfilled, and 4 subjects entered the provincial database for total pollutant discharge quota reserve and transaction management. The proportion of green and high-quality agricultural products reached 82.6%, ranking first among Tier-III regions. The rural living environment was further optimized. There were 69 livable, business-friendly, harmonious, and beautiful villages newly recognized at the provincial level, 4 villages recognized as provincial-level traditional villages, and 5 villages approved as provincial-level characteristic rural demonstration projects. We comprehensively completed annual tasks such as rural highway renovation and upgrading, ecological riverway construction, water supply pipe network reconstruction, and household toilet reconstruction, with Hongze Lake Tourism Highway selected as a national-level beautiful highway and an innovative project for the integration of transportation and tourism. Channels for increasing residents' income were further diversified. The per capita disposable income of rural residents grew by 5.9%, ranking first in the province. We implemented 16 projects to boost prosperity and strengthen villages, launched the "new farmer" cultivation initiative, and extended RMB 540 million in credit-guaranteed loans to 702 innovative agricultural entities. We continued to deepen comprehensive rural reforms, completing with high quality the pilot program for extending national second-round land contracts by 30 years on a whole-town basis. Notably, Huai'an was selected as a pilot region for the new round of provincial-level comprehensive rural reform.

(V) We remained dedicated to improving people's livelihood. All annual provincial and municipal projects dedicated to public welfare were fully completed. The per capita disposable income of all residents grew by 5.4%, ranking first in the province. We made sustained efforts in employment support. With the implementation of the "Skills Empower Huai'an" initiative, we cumulatively provided over 100,000 comprehensive skills training opportunities. Leading projects and enterprises above the designated size accounted for 51.3% of total employment. The number of graduates from local universities choosing to work in Huai'an increased by 4.5%. Urban employment saw an increase of 43,000 individuals, exceeding the annual target. Our social security system continued to improve. We steadily raised the benefit standards for key vulnerable groups, including urban and rural subsistence allowance recipients and individuals facing special hardship. We also made orderly progress in the gradual implementation of the delayed statutory retirement age policy. We fully completed the tasks in the home and community-based elderly care service enhancement project launched by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, benefiting 360,000 senior citizens, with 5 communities selected for the national list of model age-friendly communities. The upgraded "Boarding Services 2.0" program for left-behind and disadvantaged children was launched, yielding positive outcomes. The tuition-free preschool education policy was fully implemented, adding 2,738 new inclusive childcare places, representing a 20% increase. Public services were continuously optimized. We implemented ten key initiatives to revitalize county-level high schools. The rate of students qualifying for special types of undergraduate education exceeded the provincial average level for the first time, and the rate among 14 key high schools increased nearly 20 percentage points in the past three years. The city was selected as the only pilot city for county-level high school development and revitalization in the national-level basic education comprehensive reform in Jiangsu Province. In addition, we made significant progress in establishing Huai'an University. We ranked second in the province in comprehensive evaluation for deepening healthcare reform and received a national "A+" rating. Both the number of newly approved provincial-level key clinical specialties and the total count of provincial-level key clinical specialties ranked first among Tier-III regions. We achieved the coordinated development of cultural and sports undertakings. While the City of Huai'an retained its title as a National Civilized City, our Jinhu County was newly awarded this honor. The special exhibition "Zhou Enlai: The Peacemaker" was selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for display in state diplomatic activities. The heroic Liulaozhuang Company was recognized as a Model of the Times. Substantial progress was made in the integration of municipal media outlets, marked by the inauguration of the Huai'an News and Media Center. A number of high-quality works, including recipients of the Provincial Wenhua Awards, emerged. Cultural relics protection efforts were strengthened. We constructed 71 new embedded sports facilities and 21 kilometers of new fitness trails. Moreover, we completed our participation in and hosting duties for the Jiangsu Football City League, in which the Huai'an Team's tenacious "Horse in Waves" spirit was widely acclaimed. The Huai'an Marathon and Huai'an Football City League also ignited citywide enthusiasm.

(VI) We resolutely held the bottom line of safety and stability. Work safety was successfully maintained. We steadily promoted grid-based management, professionalization, digitalization, enterprise-wide engagement, institutionalization, and manual formulation for work safety, took the lead in establishing a working mechanism of "dual linkage and one leadership" for Party and government leading cadres in Jiangsu Province, and clarified regulatory responsibilities in 9 emerging fields. In addition, we coordinated efforts to tackle root causes and the full-chain governance of 9 "single matters," improved disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief capabilities, and continued to see declines in both accidents and fatalities. Our risk prevention and control were solid and effective. We intensified the crackdown on illegal financial activities, conducting targeted inspections throughout buildings and streets through a grid-based approach. A digital supervision system for prepaid consumption was launched and operationalized. We diligently carried out the "Dual Clearance" work, effectively safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of private enterprises and migrant workers. Continuous efforts were made to improve the environment surrounding schools, with comprehensive enhancements made to the quality of school meal provision. All primary and secondary school students in need across the city now benefit from centralized meal services. We optimized the food safety supervision system and explored the centralized procurement and unified distribution of ingredients for the education system and public elderly care institutions. In addition, we strengthened the oversight of all categories of debt, with continuous efforts to control scale and reduce costs, and completed our annual debt resolution tasks. The responsibility system for ideological work was strictly implemented, fortifying defenses for ideological and cultural security. Our social governance was continuously strengthened. We completed "five standardizations" for comprehensive management centers at municipal, county, and town levels. We combated organized crime and rooted out local criminal gangs on an ongoing basis, and our public security improved steadily. We established a "four-level linkage" working mechanism for the rule of law approach to handling public petitions, with the initial petition resolution rate ranking among the top in the province. The 12345 public service hotline's emergency response linkage and closed-loop management mechanisms were improved, focusing on "resolving a category of problems through addressing one typical case." The comprehensive service quality of the hotline was rated as A or above in national Class A for the fourth consecutive year. Experiences such as fair competition review, diversified dispute resolution, and supply and marketing services supporting agriculture received widespread acclaim. Moreover, our city was honored as a model city for civil-military mutual support for the sixth consecutive time. Our national defense mobilization efforts made significant strides. Our aid efforts to Xinjiang proved fruitful, successfully fulfilling the annual tasks. New achievements were made in national security, ethnic and religious affairs, government organ affairs, science and technology associations, archives, foreign affairs, overseas Chinese affairs, Taiwan affairs, customs, meteorology, and housing provident fund management. Progress was also made in endeavors related to trade unions, women, children, youth, the elderly, arbitration, charity, the Red Cross, and the disabled.

In the past year, we took enhancing the Party's political building as the overarching principle, carried out solid study and education on thoroughly implementing the Eight-Point Decision on Improving Party and Government Conduct, unveiled by the CPC Central Committee, and persisted in enhancing Party consciousness and improving work style. We focused on enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the government system, rigorously implemented 8 key mechanisms, including closed-loop management, and adopted a pragmatic and responsible approach. We strived to deliver tangible results to repay the trust of the Party and respond to the expectations of the people. We advanced law-based administration in greater depth, voluntarily accepted the legal oversight and work oversight of the People's Congress, as well as the democratic oversight of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and handled suggestions from the deputies of the People's Congress and proposals from CPPCC members with high quality and efficiency. The administrative litigation loss rate fell to a historically low level. We further strengthened the efforts to improve Party conduct and clean governance, resolutely and vigorously rectified all kinds of issues identified by inspections, audits, and supervisory reviews, and continued to combat formalism and alleviate burdens on grassroots units. Furthermore, we systematically tackled misconduct and corruption affecting people's daily lives through targeted campaigns. Oversight was strengthened in key areas such as construction projects and elderly care services. The requirement for practicing strict fiscal discipline was meticulously implemented. We worked diligently to foster a pragmatic, clean, and service-oriented government environment for the people.

Distinguished deputies, the successful completion of all tasks in 2025 marked a triumphant conclusion to the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Over the past five years, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and deeply committed to acting upon President Xi Jinping's important directives for Jiangsu's work and his sincere expectations, heartfelt letter, and thoughtful instructions for Huai'an, we have, under the strong leadership of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government, and the CPC Huai'an Municipal Committee, proactively navigated the profound transformations unseen in a century and the challenges posed by the global pandemic. With resolute determination and tangible commitment, we prevailed in one challenging endeavor after another and accomplished significant milestones. Longstanding issues that once seemed intractable were resolved, and objectives previously deemed unattainable were realized. Huai'an has gained significant momentum on a new journey of modernization, forging a new chapter of progress and vitality.

Over the past five years, we have relentlessly pursued higher benchmarks and stronger competitiveness, achieving unprecedented heights through leapfrogging. Our economic strength has reached a new height. The five-year increment in regional GDP surpassed 40 percent of the total value recorded at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. With annual growth averaging 6.5%, our economic performance consistently led the province. We secured first-tier recognition in the provincial high-quality development comprehensive assessment for multiple consecutive years. Our key economic indicators—including regional GDP, general public budget revenue, and foreign trade imports and exports—surpassed the targets one year ahead of schedule. We have smoothly completed the initial phase of the "three-step strategy" for modern economic development. This development trajectory has galvanized an unprecedented entrepreneurial spirit across the city, fueling greater confidence and resolve to excel and surpass expectations.

Over the past five years, we have prioritized building a strong industrial city, forging a robust framework of industries through relentless project execution. We have made historic breakthroughs in the quantity, volume, and quality of project attraction. The number of newly signed, commenced, and completed industrial projects worth more than RMB 100 million has reached 3.8 times, 2.4 times, and 2.2 times, respectively, the totals achieved during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. Compared with the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, the number of industrial enterprises above the designated size, national-level high-tech enterprises, enterprises worth over RMB 10 billion, and listed enterprises, the total industrial output value, the industrial electricity consumption, and the R&D investment in the whole society have all doubled. The output value proportion of high-tech industries has increased by 10.6 percentage points, and two industries worth over RMB 100 billion have made breakthroughs. We have remained committed to building a business environment that features the lowest logistics costs, the lowest factor costs, the best service environment, and the highest efficiency. The ethos of "fulfilling and transcending our promise, and providing services by anticipating needs" has become deeply ingrained. This synergy of a robust project foundation and enhanced soft environment has injected powerful momentum into the city's high-quality development and earned widespread acclaim.

Over the past five years, we have been determined to carry out reform and opening-up and have strengthened our driving force for development while overcoming difficulties. The "151" reform has been advanced in depth, with 69 national-level and 173 provincial-level reform pilot projects progressing smoothly, and 176 achievements promoted at or above the provincial level. The governance of spatial factors has achieved remarkable results, and the city has been selected by the Ministry of Natural Resources as a pilot city for the redevelopment of inefficient land. Our development zones have climbed in provincial rankings, with the Huai'an Economic & Technological Development Zone and the Huai'an High-Tech Industrial Development Zone demonstrating particularly robust growth momentum. The Jiangsu Huai'an Industrial Park has successfully been certified as a provincial-level chemical industry park. A new round of state-owned enterprise reform has been advanced in depth, and positive progress has been made in cost reduction and efficiency improvement. Pragmatic results have been achieved in Nanjing-Huai'an cooperation, Huai'an-Kunshan collaboration, and Taiwan investment hub construction. Foreign trade volume has stepped up by RMB 10 billion three consecutive times, averaging the third-highest annual growth rate in the province. Huai'an is striding forward with greater openness and vibrancy.

Over the past five years, we have coordinated urban and rural development and created an exceptional living environment through integrated progress. Our city's functions have become increasingly refined, and both urban and rural areas have showcased renewed vitality. The collection and distribution system, encompassing road, railway, water, air, and pipeline networks, has been enhanced, solidifying the city's role as a comprehensive transportation hub. Urban renewal initiatives have advanced steadily, yielding tangible results from refined management. The city's reputation as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy and the "Canal Capital" has continued to rise. The pace of rural revitalization has been accelerated. The output value of modern agriculture has exceeded RMB 100 billion, and the income of village collectives and farmers has increased by 79.4% and 45.2%, respectively, compared with that at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. Our ecological quality index has ranked first in the province for five consecutive years, and we have achieved the highest centralized collection and treatment rate of urban domestic sewage in northern Jiangsu. Our river and lake chief system has been inspected and encouraged by the State Council, and our White Horse Lake has been selected as an internationally important wetland. "Along the Grand Canal that spans 3,000 li, Huai'an unfolds its finest scenic beauty." This vision is steadily becoming reality.

Over the past five years, we have adhered to our original aspiration of serving the people and have improved their sense of gain through strengthened services. The per capita disposable income of all residents has increased by 6.6% annually, marking the second fastest growth in the province. Poverty alleviation achievements have been effectively consolidated. The systems of employment, elderly care, childcare, social security, medical insurance, and assistance have become more sound. Education and medical reforms have benefited tens of thousands of households, cultural and sports undertakings have flourished, and the average life expectancy has increased from 77.7 to 79.7 years old. Several historical problems, such as urban waterlogging, overdue transitional resettlement, and certificate handling for industrial plants, have been effectively resolved. The level of intrinsic safety has been continuously improved, while social stability has been firmly maintained. Public perception of safety has consistently remained at 98% or higher. "Happiness and Safety in Huai'an" has become an unwavering consensus and practice across the city.

Our five-year journey of striving offers profound insights: We must demonstrate unwavering political commitment and always follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; we must pool our strength to drive development, focusing unwaveringly and without slackening on the primary task of high-quality development; we must forge ahead with determination to promote reform and make full use of the key moves to continuously stimulate motivation and vitality; we must diligently fulfill our duties to benefit the people, ensuring the fruits of development benefit the populace more extensively and equitably; we must adopt a pragmatic and responsible approach to strengthen coordination, ensuring high-quality development is underpinned by high-standard security.

Distinguished deputies! Over the past five years, each of our steps has been steeped in hard work and forged by united strength. The accomplishments we have secured stem fundamentally from the overall leadership and navigational vision of the CPC Central Committee, with President Xi Jinping at its core. They are attributable to the resolute leadership and sound decision-making of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government, and the CPC Huai'an Municipal Committee. They have been facilitated by the staunch support and effective oversight of the Huai'an Municipal People's Congress and the CPPCC Huai'an Municipal Committee, as well as the diligent efforts and active contributions of every individual who has strived for progress! On behalf of the People's Government of Huai'an, I would like to extend my highest respect and sincere thanks to all cadres and citizens across the city; to deputies to the People's Congress, CPPCC members, and retired comrades; to all democratic parties, the Federation of Industry and Commerce, non-party individuals, and people's organizations; to comrades who have been dedicated to the front line for many years and working at the grassroots level; to entrepreneurs who trust and invest in Huai'an; and to friends from all walks of life, who care about and support the development of Huai'an.

While fully acknowledging our achievements, we remain keenly aware of persisting challenges and shortcomings in our work, most notably: The relatively modest scale of the economy and its suboptimal quality remain the most significant constraints on our progress, and the industrial underpinning and innovation-driven momentum require urgent reinforcement; the level of urban-rural integrated development still requires elevation, and the results of ecological environment improvement are still unstable; vulnerabilities persist in the provision of public services, and the prevention and resolution of risks in key areas demand stronger efforts; a minority of government officials need to strengthen their work ethic and capabilities, and the drive to enhance efficiency and effectiveness within the government system requires sustained commitment. With a pressing sense of urgency and unwavering diligence and dedication, we will drive forward substantial and effective improvements, and we are determined to live up to the expectations and trust of all Huai'an citizens.

II. Overall Arrangement for Economic and Social Development During the 15th Five-Year Plan Period

According to Suggestions of the Huai'an Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development in Huai'an City, the People's Government of Huai'an prepared the Outline of the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development in Huai'an City, which has been submitted to this conference for deliberation.

The 15th Five-Year Plan period represents a critical phase for Huai'an to push ahead and overcome challenges, as well as a pivotal phase to capitalize on momentum and advance vigorously. Bearing the historic responsibility to consolidate foundations and exert full effort on the new journey of modernization, we must act with urgency and purposeful dedication. We should not only clearly understand the complexity and severity of the external environment, but also deeply grasp the unstoppable trend of China's economy in the long run. In addition to facing up to difficult challenges such as more fierce competition and tight constraints on factors, we should also see the good momentum of high-quality development and the good atmosphere for cohesion and entrepreneurship. As long as we steadfastly adhere to one blueprint through to completion, maintain unwavering focus on implementation, drive development with sustained momentum, and remain wholeheartedly dedicated to serving the people, we will undoubtedly forge a new chapter and achieve renewed success. Through tangible and exceptional results, we will demonstrate the profound symbolic significance of building late Premier Zhou Enlai's hometown into a model of excellence.

The overall guidelines for the city's economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period are as follows: We should adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirits of the 20th CPC National Congress and all plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and thoroughly practice the spirits of President Xi Jinping's important directives for Jiangsu's work and his sincere expectations for Huai'an; we should anchor our development in the positioning as a modern central city in the northern Yangtze River Delta, focus on the "three-step strategy" for modern economic development, and firmly grasp the main theme of high-quality development to comprehensively stimulate the momentum and vitality of reform and innovation; we should coordinate development and safety at a higher level while adhering to the principle that governance achievements stem from serving the people and tangible results arise from practical action; we should sustain our positive trajectory, enhance our contribution, and strive vigorously to compose the Huai'an chapter in the new journey of modernizing Jiangsu into a strong, prosperous, beautiful, and highly civilized province.

We are confident that in five years, Huai'an will achieve the following: The high-quality development will reach a new height and achieve better results; the modern industrial system will be improved to a new level with higher quality and efficiency; the urban functions will be upgraded and of better quality; rural revitalization will yield tangible, accessible results, presenting a renewed outlook; the ecological environment will see continuous improvement, showcasing a more vibrant foundation; our citizens will enjoy more disposable income and brighter smiles; the vision of urban rejuvenation outlined in the 15th Five-Year Plan will materialize and become reality! In the next five years, we will strive to achieve the following main goals in economic and social development:

—We will continue to improve our comprehensive economic strength. By maintaining rapid economic growth, we will have accounted for 5% of the province's economic aggregate by 2030, and our per capita GDP will have reached more than 90% of the provincial average; the regional GDP of 4 counties and districts, the industrial output value of 4 parks, and the output value of 5 leading industries will all have exceeded RMB 100 billion; the total output value of industrial enterprises above the designated size will have been doubled, and effective paths and excellent results will have been formed through the in-depth integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation.

—We will continue to enhance our resource pooling capacity and broaden our reach. Taking shape as a transportation hub serving the development of the northern Yangtze River Delta, an economic hub serving the high-quality development of our own industries, and a supporting hub serving the demand side in the domestic circulation, we will significantly improve the scale and level of our role as a Taiwan investment hub; we will continue to enhance the apeal and reputation of our business environment, further consolidate our role as the regional consumption center, logistics center, education center, and medical center, and achieve positive growth in permanent resident population in urban areas.

—We will continue to showcase the quality and charm of our urban and rural areas. With the continued optimization of the overall territorial spatial pattern, functional zones within the central city will exhibit robust vitality and achieve coordinated development; new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization strategies will be advanced in synergy; counties will become comprehensive carriers with much greater capacity and more high-quality connotations; the goal of building a strong agricultural city will be largely achieved; urban and rural cultural advancement will be steadily strengthened, driving deeper and more substantive progress in urban-rural integration; the city will embody a more pronounced modern character, while the countryside will retain a heightened pastoral charm.

—We will continue to release our green potential. With our ecological quality index remaining at the forefront of the province, we will take solid steps to develop green productivity and transform our energy structure; the supporting effect of eco-agriculture on environmental capacity will fully appear; we will find more effective paths and set practical examples for ecological value transformation; green and low-carbon lifestyles will be comprehensively promoted, further stimulating the development potential of Huai'an as a green heart of the Jianghuai region.

—We will continue to improve the people's well-being, security, and social cohesion. Growth in resident income will keep pace with economic expansion; the provision of high-quality public services will become more accurate and efficient; multi-level social security will be strenghened; the population development support and service system will be improved, covering the whole population and the full life cycle; full-process democracy will continue to develop, the construction of a safe social environment and law-based governance in Huai'an will be advanced at a high level, and the intrinsic safety level will be significantly improved; major risks and hidden dangers will be effectively prevented and resolved, the efficiency of social governance will be holistically enhanced, and the sense of gain, happiness, and security among all citizens will be markedly strengthened.

III. Key Tasks for 2026

This year marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and it requires the effective execution of government work, which is not only our significant responsibility but also of profound importance. Standing at this pivotal moment linking the past and the future, we must harness unyielding courage and perseverance to advance the "Four Major Tasks" and persist in addressing the "Five Key Issues." Through vigorous pursuit of development, precision-driven reform, meticulous safeguarding of stability, and tangible delivery of public welfare, we will ensure a strong and decisive start to the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

The key annual objectives are as follows: a 6.5% increase in regional GDP; a 9% increase in the added value of industrial enterprises above the designated size; a 2% increase in the general public budget revenue; a 5.5% increase in the total retail sales of consumer goods; a 5% increase in fixed-asset investment; a 10% increase in industrial investment; a 5% increase in the total foreign trade volume; the stable acquisition of registered foreign capital with improved quality; resident income growth broadly synchronized with economic growth. In practical implementation, we will set ambitious yet attainable targets and strive for optimal outcomes. Our focus will center on nine key work areas:

(I) We will focus on the continuous advancement of projects and drive greater outcomes in new industrialization. We will intensify our project attraction and cultivation efforts, as well as technological innovation. Concurrently, we will synergize investment attraction and capital selection with capital increase and production expansion. This integrated approach will strengthen our industrial foundation while simultaneously enhancing quality and efficiency.

We will improve the quality and efficiency of project attraction. More attention will be paid to the input-output ratio and comprehensive contribution, so as to continuously improve the economic value, innovative content, and environmental sustainability of each project. The "3+N" investment attraction activities will be held at a high level, and professional investment attraction and capital selection activities will be carried out frequently. We will not cling to outdated methods, nor will we pursue unrealistic goals or blindly follow trends. We will further improve the specialized assessment and rapid closed-loop mechanism and deepen "five-stage" lifecycle management for projects. We aim to attract more than 1,000 industrial projects, each with an investment of over RMB 100 million, including more than 50 projects worth over RMB 3 billion. More than 500 projects will commence construction, more than 300 will be newly completed, and more than 300 will be newly listed in statistical reporting. We will better coordinate hard investment and soft construction, vigorously promote the construction of projects related to major national strategy implementation and security capabilities building in key areas, and strive to complete annual tasks for 385 provincial-level and municipal-level major projects two months ahead of schedule.

We will expand characteristic and advantageous industries. Adhering to intelligent, green, and integrated development, we will cultivate and expand advanced manufacturing clusters with cluster-specific policies. We will steadily promote equipment renewal, technological upgrading, intelligent upgrading, digital transformation, and network connectivity in traditional industries. In addition, we will facilitate the capital increase and production expansion of existing enterprises through an integrated approach, unlocking renewed vitality for established industries, with more than 600 projects planned to be implemented throughout the year. Focusing primarily, though not exclusively, on the "353" initiative for developing strategic emerging industries, we will vigorously cultivate clusters and strengthen chains, striving to elevate the output value of the new materials industry to over RMB 100 billion. Leveraging local strengths, we will strategically develop future industries such as the low-altitude economy and robotics, actively cultivating new growth points for artificial intelligence. We will accelerate the cultivation of backbone enterprises, aiming to add one new enterprise worth RMB 10 billion, two new enterprises worth RMB 5 billion, and 300 new intelligent factories.

We will optimize the ecosystem for industrial development. This includes strengthening technology empowerment, scenario-based application, and chain collaboration, promoting AI empowerment in manufacturing, and accelerating the construction of digital and intelligent supply chains to improve the operation efficiency and resilience of supply chains. We will expand the service capabilities of the "Huai'an Enterprise Assistant" platform and refine industrial service systems, including the "five centers and one base" framework, specialized pilot platforms, and inspection, testing, and certification facilities. These efforts will continuously improve collaboration across key industry chains, as well as the rapid development of supporting capabilities.

(II) We will focus on collaborative innovation in science and technology, making greater achievements in the solid development of new quality productive forces. We will steadfastly move towards innovation and prevail through quality excellence, deepen the innovative "government-industry-academia-research" integration, and transform technological innovation—the pivotal catalyst—into the paramount driver of high-quality development.

We will strengthen the cultivation of innovative entities. While vigorously implementing the Science and Technology Innovation Partnership Program, we will actively attract high-grade, high-precision, and advanced projects, as well as niche yet high-potential projects. We aim to introduce more than 500 new science and technology projects. We will further strengthen effective policy support, focus on driving integrated innovation across enterprises of all sizes, and establish over 5 joint innovation centers among enterprises. We will continue to promote the cultivation of enterprises with strong intellectual property, as well as high-value patents, and we will support more enterprises to establish R&D institutions, aiming to boost the R&D investment of enterprises above the designated size by more than 15%. We will further implement the enterprise incubation plan for technological innovators, accelerate the cultivation of high-growth enterprises such as gazelle enterprises and unicorn enterprises, and ensure that there are 1,200 national-level high-tech enterprises within the validity period. We will strengthen the policy support for the whole chain of talent introduction, cultivation, and retention, continuously elevate talent benefits and housing security, and implement the"Thousand Enterprises, Hundred Schools" collaborative innovation initiative to advance deep industry-talent integration.

We will improve the functions of innovation platforms. To this end, we will further promote the connotative development of the Huai'an Science and Education Industrial Park as an "innovation hub" and support Huai'an High-Tech Industrial Development Zone in seizing the opportunity of "collaboration between high-tech zones and higher education institutions" and continuing to strive for an advanced position. We will promote the quality and efficiency improvement of major platforms such as national-level key laboratories and the Huai'an Branch of the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute, regularly organize enterprises to cooperate with large institutes, and accelerate the transformation and implementation of scientific and technological achievements, aiming to implement more than 50 key industry-academia-research projects. We will accelerate the pilot project of building the attapulgite clay industry in Xuyi into a regional innovation engine. We will optimize and improve the service function of the open sharing platform for scientific research instruments and equipment to ensure comprehensive coverage and equitable access for all eligible entities.

(III) We will focus on improving the quality and capacity of consumption, making greater achievements in the solid development of the modern service industry. We will further unlock potential, optimize supply, and diversify scenarios, fostering a virtuous cycle between improved livelihoods and consumption upgrading to stimulate consumption potential and bolster the engine of domestic demand.

We will optimize and elevate the business service industry. Making full use of policies on large-scale equipment renewals and the trade-in of old consumer goods, we will continue to boost bulk consumption and facilitate the listing of Huai'an goods, high-quality foreign trade products, and domestic trendy products in various channels, such as supermarkets, chain stores, and platforms. We will launch a revitalization initiative for time-honored brands while vigorously developing new business formats such as instant retail and live-streaming e-commerce. We will promote differentiated development in the Huaihai Square-Shuidukou core business district to attract premium brands, and we will support Hexia Ancient Town's bid to build a provincial-level model pedestrian street. In addition, we will accelerate the improvement of the rural express logistics network and support the characteristic development of rural fairs. We will strengthen the digital supervision of prepaid consumption and strive to create a safe consumption environment.

We will effectively promote the integrated development of culture, tourism, sports, and commerce. We will accelerate the integration of cultural and tourism resources, strengthen the brand of "One City, Two Parks—A Tour of Excitement in Huai'an," and promote the recognition of the Journey to the West Theme Park as a national 5A-level tourist attraction and the Li Canal Cultural Tourism Resort as a provincial-level tourist attraction. We will also cultivate several premier rural tourism destinations and boutique inns. We will amplify the appeal of the city as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy and its major sporting events, make the Grand Canal City Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism Festival a renewed success, and implement paid off-peak vacation measures for employees. We will release the comprehensive driving effect of culture, tourism, and sports, organize 1,000 consumption promotion activities jointly with counties, and strive for an increase of over 13% and 12%, respectively, in the number of tourists to Huai'an and tourism revenue.

We will actively cultivate emerging service industries. Focusing on the innovative integration of services and manufacturing, we will promote the high-quality development of producer services, actively introduce and cultivate high-end producer service providers, and comprehensively optimize the supply of professional services such as R&D design, logistics, and supply chain management. We will actively promote AI to empower thousands of industries, explore and promote the "One Person Company" development model, and encourage and support the healthy development of new business formats and models, such as the platform economy and sharing economy. We aim to increase the added value of core industries in the digital economy by 8%. We will vigorously develop the first-release, first-store, first-exhibition, and first-show economy, reasonably guide the sustainable development of emotional consumption, and promote the upgrading of elderly care, housekeeping, and other life services toward higher quality, diversity, and convenience.

(IV) We will focus on the empowerment of reform and opening up, making greater achievements in the solid improvement of comprehensive competitiveness. We will coordinate in-depth reform and high-level opening up to continuously stimulate the vitality of high-quality development.

This includes creating an excellent first-class business environment. We will thoroughly implement the Private Sector Promotion Law and facilitate the development of enterprises with professional, efficient, and heart-warming services. We will adhere to the problem-oriented approach, strengthen the user-centric mindset, and carry out the "role-switching exercise" in depth. In addition, we will improve the business environment service specialist system, upgrade the enterprise-oriented one-stop service platform, and promote the "one-stop" reform and "one-category" service integration. In addition, we will optimize the efficient examination and approval service model characterized by extremely simple application, rapid approval, and excellent service, which includes immediate issuance of certificates upon land transfer, immediate commencement of construction upon land acquisition, immediate acceptance upon construction completion, and immediate handover upon project completion. We are committed to reducing the burden for enterprises through additional services. We will implement reserve pool and turnover pool management for industrial land, apply an innovative mechanism that combines the direct supply of green electricity with quota transactions, and strengthen precision financial matchmaking and guarantee to provide strong support for project implementation. We will vigorously promote consolidated joint inspections and adopt an inclusive and prudent regulatory approach. We will continuously increase the human touch and precision in enterprise-focused law enforcement, enabling all compliant businesses to operate with minimal burdens and develop with peace of mind.

We will strengthen reform in critical areas. Guided by the "151" reform initiative, we will deepen key reforms related to the construction and management mechanism, decentralization and empowerment practices, personnel salary, and investment attraction mechanism of development zones, replicate and popularize the pilot experience of free trade zone reform, and build characteristic industrial clusters in a tiered manner. We will continue to advance the overall development of various development zones, with the Huai'an Economic & Technological Development Zone striving to be among the top 100 in China. We will accelerate the materialization and market-oriented transformation of state-owned enterprises, strengthen penetrating supervision, and promote better cost reduction and efficiency improvement, as well as stable operations, among state-owned enterprises. We will deepen the reform of space factors and promote the redevelopment of inefficient land to improve quality and efficiency continuously. We will steadily promote new urbanization that is people-oriented and supported by counties, supporting the characteristic development of key central towns and economically developed towns.

We will improve the level of opening up and cooperation. Adhering to the principle of "defining external entities as entities outside the city," we actively coordinate and implement major strategies such as the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta and the construction of Jianghuai Ecological Economic Zone, striving to make greater efforts to promote the coordinated development of industries, technology, transportation, and ecology. We will actively participate in the construction of the Nanjing Metropolitan Area and accelerate the innovative development of the Nanjing-Huai'an Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park. We will deepen the collaborative development of Taiwan investments in Huai'an and Kunshan, add more than 50 new projects funded by Taiwan enterprises, and promote the continuous expansion and quality improvement of Taiwan investments. We will refine and implement the measures for cultivating new market entities, exploring new markets, developing new models, expanding AI applications, and developing new products, so as to stabilize foreign trade. We will vigorously promote the "Huai'an Products to Go Global" initiative. We will strive to add more than 100 enterprises with actual foreign trade achievements, add more than 10 enterprises with import and export value exceeding USD 10 million, and achieve growth of over 30% in cross-border e-commerce imports and exports.

(V) We will focus on connotative development, making greater achievements in the solid improvement of central city functions. Adhering to a planning-led approach with equal emphasis on construction and management, we will accelerate the transformation of development models and growth drivers, and continuously enhance the city's carrying capacity and appeal.

We will improve the quality of the city's functions. This includes strengthening refined construction and focusing on smart growth. We aim to implement 67 key urban construction projects, with an annual investment of RMB 12 billion. We will solidly promote organic renewal, piloting trade-in for clustered and contiguous areas and point-driven autonomous renewal in the main urban area. We will also construct complete communities tailored to local conditions and orderly promote the development and market launch of high-quality housing. We will deepen the governance of urban "gray space," promote the comprehensive improvement and utilization of the environment in depth, and achieve a simultaneous increase in spatial value and governance efficiency. We will strengthen refined management services, standardizing and optimizing outdoor dining setups and designated convenience vending points to ensure both a tidy, orderly environment and vibrant street life. We will continue the campaign to improve the quality and efficiency of property management services, take multiple measures to promote models such as community-managed residential compounds and the property management trust system, and effectively elevate service levels in over 300 underperforming residential compounds. We will effectively preserve and continue the cultural heritage, accelerate the formulation of the Conservation Plan for Huai'an as a Famous Historical and Cultural City, and strictly implement the system of pre-project archaeological surveys. We will also intensify the protection and utilization of historical and cultural blocks, thereby promoting the organic integration of historic buildings, traditional features, and modern urban functions.

We will build a strong, comprehensive transportation hub. Focusing on the construction of a high-speed railway network with a double-cross pattern, we will accelerate the construction of the Nanjing-Huai'an Intercity Railway and actively promote the preliminary work of the Xinyi-Huai'an Railway. We will accelerate the implementation of navigation support works for the Huaihe River Seaward Waterway Phase II Project, the Jinbao Channel project, and the secondary expansion of the four-line ship lock on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Yangzhuang Ship Lock on the Yanhe Channel. We will also complete the Huai'an Port Phase III Rail-Water Intermodal Project and leverage water transport advantages to actively build the Yanhe River Industrial Belt. We will promote integrated port operations to strengthen coordinated linkage, functional complementarity, and intensive development. We will advance the Airport Phase III Terminal Area Expansion and Renovation Project, expand and optimize passenger and cargo routes, and enhance comprehensive service functions such as bonded supervision and cold chain logistics. We will accelerate the expansion of the Xinyi-Yangzhou Expressway and complete the southern Lianshui section of Provincial Highway 264 to thoroughly resolve the issue of the Nanjing-Lianyungang Highway trunk line traversing the urban area. Moreover, we will continuously improve the collection and distribution system, promote the synergy of road, railway, water, air, and pipeline networks, and facilitate the continuous reduction of comprehensive logistics costs to provide robust support for the agglomeration and development of hub-oriented industries.

(VI) We will focus on the construction of a strong agricultural city, making greater achievements in promoting solid, comprehensive rural revitalization. We will continue to prioritize the four key tasks of strengthening foundations, expanding industries, empowering villages, and enriching the people, so as to accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.

We will improve the modern agricultural industrial system. Strictly abiding by the red line of arable land protection, we will newly reconstruct more than 300,000 mu (20,000 hectares) of high-standard farmland, coordinate the implementation of backbone projects in irrigation areas, and effectively improve the comprehensive grain production capacity and stability in the production and supply of agricultural products. We will strengthen the development of agriculture through technology, further enhance the "five clusters and eight chains" in agriculture, and optimize regional public brands such as "Ancient Huai'an Flavor." In addition, we will add more than 50 new agricultural product processing enterprises above the designated size and boost the added value of local specialties by connecting agriculture with the secondary and tertiary industries. Efforts will be made to improve the quality and efficiency of ecological agriculture, systematically promote the construction of 15 key areas, and stabilize the proportion of green and high-quality agricultural products at more than 83%. Moreover, we will establish more than 10 new accounting items for pollutant emission reduction, striving to explore sustainable development paths with better business models, more popular green brands, and higher ecological value. We will carry out the tasks of the fourth national agricultural census with high quality.

Furthermore, we will build a livable, business-friendly, and beautiful countryside. Adapting to the changes in rural population and industrial development trend, we will gradually improve the completeness of rural infrastructure, the convenience of public services, and the comfort of the living environment. We will promote the construction of key areas in a classified and orderly manner, ensure that 3 provincial-level cultivation areas pass acceptance with high quality, and newly cultivate 40 province-level livable and business-friendly villages. We will conduct an in-depth "Clean Home" campaign and continuously improve the rural living environment. We will vigorously cultivate new agricultural business entities such as "new farmers," further improve the mechanism that unites farmers, such as the mechanism where large households help small ones, and take multiple measures to strengthen the new rural collective economy, continuously broadening channels for farmers to increase their income and wealth. We will strengthen targeted assistance for relatively underdeveloped areas and continuously consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation.

(VII) We will focus on the improvement of the ecological environment, making greater achievements in the solid construction of a beautiful Huai'an. We will work together to promote carbon emission reduction, pollution reduction, green space expansion, and growth, firmly holding the bottom line that environmental quality can only become better and not worse.

We will deepen pollution prevention and control. Efforts will be made to improve the capacity of ecological environment governance, with an investment of RMB 3.2 billion, and 66 ecological environment infrastructure projects will be implemented. We will strengthen the implementation of the "Five-Source Co-Governance" initiative to continuously improve air quality. We will carefully implement the water source security task for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, promote the construction of rivers and lakes across the whole region, and orderly remove dykes for the restoration of Hongze Lake and Gaoyou Lake. We aim to bring the centralized collection and treatment rate of urban domestic sewage to about 75%. We will deepen the construction of a waste-free city, put into use the technically upgraded Wangyuan landfill, and severely crack down on illegal dumping of solid waste and hazardous waste. A new round of biodiversity background investigation will be launched to effectively strengthen the protection of birds and crack down on illegal fishing. We will complete the annual rectification of issues identified by the central and provincial inspection teams for ecological environment protection and by special inspections on the Grand Canal ecological environment protection on schedule, and a long-term mechanism will be established based on general rules derived from those individual cases.

We will accelerate green and low-carbon development. By actively promoting the value conversion of ecological products, we will continuously improve the green visibility of industries and the ecological added value of products. We will strengthen carbon emission control in key areas and thoroughly implement a carbon emission control system, with intensity control as the mainstay and total amount control as the supplement. The development and construction of new energy sources, such as onshore wind power and photovoltaic power projects, will be promoted in an orderly manner, and the diversified development of new salt cavern energy storage will be accelerated. We will resolutely curb the blind development of "high energy consumption, high pollution, and low efficiency" projects. Meanwhile, we will encourage new projects to use new and low-carbon energy and purchase green electricity and green energy. We will comprehensively promote the construction of a water-saving society, as well as transportation-energy integration. We will deepen the source governance of industrial parks, promote the creation of more green factories at or above the provincial level, and facilitate the green and low-carbon transformation of traditional industries, as well as the transformation of enterprises for energy conservation and carbon reduction.

(VIII) We will focus on the optimization of public services, making greater achievements in the solid improvement of people's livelihood and well-being. We will actively adapt to trends in population mobility and structural changes, further optimize the allocation of public service resources, and continuously strengthen a broad-coverage and multi-tiered social security system.

We will strengthen support for employment and entrepreneurship. This includes strengthening the synergy between industries and employment, further stabilizing and expanding jobs for key groups such as university graduates, veterans, and migrant workers, and creating over 36,000 new urban jobs. We will thoroughly implement the "Skills Empower Huai'an" Three-Year Action Plan, optimize the integrated "employment-training-assessment" platform, and provide high-quality employment support for various groups returning to Huai'an. Focusing on resolving structural employment mismatches, we will strive to effectively alleviate the difficulties faced by families with empty nesters and left-behind children. We will deepen the construction of a youth development-oriented city, broaden pathways for young talent growth, and attract more university graduates to come to and stay in Huai'an for employment and entrepreneurship. In addition, we will actively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of workers in flexible and new forms of employment. We will strictly enforce measures to guarantee wage payments for migrant workers, with coordinated multi-party efforts made to resolutely and effectively combat wage arrears.

We will optimize public service support. To this end, we will further improve and expand the effectiveness of revitalizing county-level high schools, implement a pairing and assistance mechanism—where municipal-level high schools offer assistance to county-level high schools, and strong county-level high schools offer assistance to weaker high schools—and promote the high-quality development of basic education. We will support the connotative development of undergraduate education, promote industry-education integration in vocational education, and establish 4 municipal consortia. We will strengthen the clustered construction of Grade-A tertiary hospitals, actively establish provincial-level regional medical centers, and add 3 new provincial-level key clinical specialties. We will support the inheritance and innovation of the Shanyang School of traditional Chinese medicine, continue to promote the expansion and allocation of high-quality medical resources to grassroots levels, and ensure that superior medical services and medicines benefit frontline communities. We will perfect the long-term mechanism for basic medical insurance enrollment and refine the long-term care insurance system. We will meticulously organize brand events such as the Jiangsu Football City League, the Huai'an Football City League, and the Huai'an Marathon, optimize the layout of embedded sports venues and outdoor fitness facilities, and accelerate the creation of 15-minute fitness circles. In addition, we will promote the high-standard development of a civilized city, enhance the tangible benefits of the "City of Books" initiative, and complete the tasks of the fourth national census of cultural relics with high quality. We will innovatively organize community cultural fairs and support the creation of outstanding theatrical works that resonate with the public. We will improve service efficiency for the elderly and children, further optimize the elderly care service mechanism across counties, towns, and villages, and continue to provide care and assistance for vulnerable left-behind children. We will optimize fertility support policies and measures, launch initiatives to improve the quality of childcare services, and promote high-quality population development. We will improve the categorized and tiered assistance system, intensify efforts to assist persons with disabilities or in distress, and firmly hold the bottom line of basic livelihood security.

Distinguished deputies, focusing on the new needs and expectations of the people and based on extensive public consultation, we have compiled ten categories of candidate projects for practical public welfare initiatives, which we now submit to this session for a vote. We are fully committed to approaching our tasks with a strong sense of responsibility and genuine sincerity, striving to ensure that every practical initiative is executed effectively and every promise is fulfilled with substance.

(IX) We will focus on safety, harmony, and stability, making greater achievements in the solid advancement of social governance modernization. We will comprehensively implement the overall national security concept, promoting the benign interaction between high-quality development and high-level security through efficient governance.

We will effectively prevent and resolve risks in key areas. We will promote grid-based management, professionalization, digitalization, enterprise-wide engagement, institutionalization, and manual formulation for work safety in all fields across the city: We will further improve our professional supervision ability, deeply promote the full-chain governance of 9 "single matters," such as hazardous chemicals and urban gas supply, and solidly carry out special rectification of traffic safety hazards; we will strengthen the categorized management of small public venues and extend meticulous, on-the-ground risk screening to the "last mile"; we will further solidify the primary responsibility of enterprises, effectively improve safety awareness and skills among all personnel, and strictly implement requirements such as the "five-minute pre- and post-shift briefings" and the "one-page-per-post" safety protocols. We will crack down on illegal financial activities to safeguard the public's financial assets. We will improve the whole-process supervision of food and medicines to ensure food safety for the public. Moreover, we will steadily advance urban lifeline safety projects, continuously strengthen "flood-free and waterlogging-free" urban construction, and constantly improve urban resilience. We will strengthen grassroots foundations and emergency response capabilities to further improve our disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief capacities. We will strictly manage the overall debt scale and financing costs. Furthermore, we will fully complete the annual task of clearing overdue payments to enterprises, firmly preventing new arrears while clearing existing ones.

We will continue to make our social governance more effective. To this end, we will comprehensively advance the law-based handling of public petitions, establish a diversified mechanism for resolving conflicts, and ensure key petitioning cases achieve both case closure and effective reconciliation. We will crack down on illegal and criminal activities in key areas, such as telecommunications and internet fraud. We will improve the long-term mechanism for governing the online ecosystem and effectively enhance the management of government-affiliated new media and the secure operation of information systems. With the launch of the 9th Five-Year Legal Publicity Campaign, we will strengthen the functions of "one-stop" public legal service centers. We will also vigorously carry forward the fine tradition of civil-military mutual support, deepen national defense education, and strengthen national defense mobilization and the development of reserve forces. We will solidly carry out work related to ethnic and religious affairs, as well as Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese affairs. We will better support the involvement of mass organizations, social organizations, public welfare and charity, and volunteer services in social governance and public services, forming a new pattern of co-construction, co-governance, and shared benefits.

IV. Comprehensive Enhancement of Government Self-Improvement

Distinguished deputies, while we forge ahead on the new journey, we should keep in mind that it takes a good blacksmith to make good steel. We will adhere to the leadership of the Party's political development, remain true to our original aspiration and founding mission, and prioritize the people's well-being above all else. We will further reinforce our sense of responsibility, enhance our professional competence, and strive to build a service-oriented, efficient, innovative, law-based, and clean government that earns the trust of the Party and the satisfaction of the people.

First, we will strive to build a service-oriented government. We will treat the concerns of the people as our top priorities and translate the needs of businesses into a government service checklist. We will focus policies on the people's livelihood and concentrate resources on development. We are committed to undertaking practical initiatives that can lay a solid foundation, build sustainable momentum, and yield long-term benefits. We will resolutely reject the blind pursuit of scale and foreign practices, as well as grandstanding, and strictly prohibit "vanity projects" and "image projects."

Second, we will strive to build an efficient government. Focusing on "four don'ts and four dos" and "four areas to be enhanced," we will continue to carry out the "Year of Efficiency and Effectiveness Improvement" campaign, encourage and guide cadres to shoulder heavy responsibilities and strive for excellence, and improve the project-based, list-based, and closed-loop working mechanism to ensure that the established tasks are fully implemented with tangible results. We will deepen the rectification of formalism, continue to reduce burdens and constraints on grass-roots units, and empower them to increase efficiency.

Third, we will strive to build an innovative government. Adhering to the principles of integrity, innovation, self-confidence, and self-reliance, we will guide cadres across the government system to enhance their learning and research capabilities, master policies and operations, and broaden their horizons. We will encourage them to overcome path dependence and continuously improve their ability to recognize and adapt to changes and their capacity for reform and innovation. We will be daring in taking responsibility and excel in execution and delivery.

Fourth, we will strive to build a law-based government. We will thoroughly practice Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, effectively improve the level of scientific, democratic, and law-based decision-making, and strictly standardize fair and civilized law enforcement. We will accept the legal and work supervision of the People's Congress according to law, consciously accept the democratic supervision of the CPPCC, and actively accept the supervision of society and public opinion, ensuring that the exercise of power is more open and transparent.

Fifth, we will strive to build a clean government. We will strictly fulfill the main responsibility of improving Party conduct and clean governance and implement the "dual duty on one position" system, persevere in carrying out the Eight-Point Decision on Improving Party and Government Conduct, and make every effort to carry out inspections, rectifications, and the application of results. We will give full play to the role of auditing, accounting, and statistical supervision, deeply promote the centralized rectification of misconduct and corruption affecting people's daily lives, and strive to promote frugal and clean government operations.

Distinguished deputies! With heavy responsibilities on our shoulders, we must respond with pragmatic action and a strong sense of responsibility; to achieve the magnificent vision, we must forge ahead with even greater determination. We will rally more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and fully implement the decisions and plans of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee and the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Huai'an Municipal Committee, we will spur our unremitting efforts and forge ahead with courage to build the hometown of late Premier Zhou into a better and more beautiful place.