City meets all aims of 11th Party Congress

Shanghai has achieved all goals set at its 11th Party Congress, the city's Party secretary Li Qiang said in a report at the opening ceremony of the 12th Party Congress on Saturday.

The congress, staged every five years and held at the World Expo Center, will last for three days this year.

Li said Shanghai's gross domestic product surpassed 3 trillion yuan (US$448,5 billion) and 4 trillion yuan successfully in the past five years. Its per capita GDP reached 173,600 yuan in 2021.

The city has basically established its functions as the global hub for international economy, finance, trade and shipping and the basic framework of an international science and technology innovation center, according to Li.

He said Shanghai has also improved its capabilities for global resource allocation, science and technology innovation, high-end industry development and opening-up while its brands in services, manufacturing, shopping and culture have also been promoted. With growing forerunner industries and advanced manufacturing, the city's competitive capabilities have also grown significantly, he added.

He also listed the city's other achievements including the establishment of Lingang New Area of the free trade zone, the tech-focused STAR stock market and its registration-based IPO system, integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, the successful organizing of four China International Import Expos, the launch of construction of the Hongqiao International Hub and deepened reforms in key areas.

He said people's livelihood have been improved from five years ago with per capita disposable income of local residents hitting 78,000 yuan last year.

The cultural industry is also booming in the city. With improved public cultural services, the cultural creativity industry now accounts for 13 percent of its gross output.

The waterfronts along Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek were renovated and opened to the public, turning from industrial rustbelts to cultural spaces for residents to enjoy their leisure time. The average life expectancy of residents in Shanghai reached 84.11 years old in 2021.

In the past five years, the city has renovated 3.08 million squares of run-down buildings and will totally solve the problem by the end of this year, said Li.

The city has built up a primary system for digital operation to improve governance while 15-minute life circles are being built up around the city.

As for ecological environment protection, air qualities have reached the best records with average annual PM2.5 concentration lowered to 27 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021. Bodies of water inferior to Class-V, the lowest of a five-level water classification system in China, have been eliminated as planned.

The energy consumption for per unit of GDP fell by 21.8% over the past five years and a garbage-sorting system has been established with 95 percent of household waste well sorted.

Chiefs for rivers, lakes and forests have been promoted to protect ecological environment, while Chongming is being developed into a world ecological island.

The CPC just celebrated its 100th birthday last year and a memorial of the First CPC National Congress has been built and opened to the public.

Li said the Party has been enhancing its own regulations, cracking down on corruption and other violations and improving its own ruling capacities.