Qingdao strives for breakthroughs in 15 areas to bolster the development of the city

QINGDAO, China, Sept. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In order to fully implement the important instructions given by General Secretary Xi Jinping on Qingdao, the decisions of the CPC Central Committee and the requirements of the CPC Shandong Committee, Qingdao is vigorously seeking breakthroughs in 15 areas since the beginning of this year with Shenzhen as the benchmark. The city has held 15 open debates and has thus formulated 15 action plans based on the discussions. With such efforts, Qingdao is striving to invigorate the city by building a new strategic pivot for deepening the opening up in regions to the north of the Yangtze River.

The 15 areas include the marine sector, investment promotion and talent recruitment, upgrading accessibility, integrated military and civilian development, rural vitalization, boosting the development of Pingdu and Laixi, building an innovation center for international shipping, trade and finance, high-end manufacturing + AI, the reform of state-owned enterprises, bolstering up the private sector, science and technology-driven growth, improving livability, building a world-renowned fashionable city, building an efficient city with enabling business environment, and building "Safe Qingdao". It reflects Qingdao's resolve to fully implement the important instructions made by General Secretary Xi Jinping on Qingdao and the requirements of the CPC Shandong committee.

The action plans represent the top design. From April 14^th to June 26^th, Qingdao spent 15 evenings deliberating on them one by one. Each debate lasted for four to five hours and was attended by 600 to 700 people. At each debate, a team composed of the vice mayor level official in charge of the certain area and the heads of competent departments sat on the stage and gave a presentation, introducing the overall requirements, tasks, measures, etc. They were also asked to take questions or respond to the comments and suggestions from nearly 30 officials, scholars, experts, representatives of chambers of commerce and enterprises, as well as heads of districts and county-level cities and municipal departments. The debates, focusing on key questions such as what, why and how, were carried out with the purpose to motivate officials at all levels through brainstorming, so that they can truly deliver their duty in policy making, ensure more systematic, holistic and synergistic decision-making and implementation and make the public policies more reasonable, precise and consistent. They are also expected to improve the ability to face the pubic and the media.

The end of the debates signaled the beginning of implementation. Over the past months, the action plans have been amended and improved for several rounds before getting approved by the CPC Qingdao committee and the Qingdao Municipal Government. They were then released to the public through Qingdao Daily and other media outlets. Qingdao intends to hold similar debates as a measure to follow up on the progress of the implementation of these plans before the two sessions of the Qingdao Municipal People's Congress and the CPPCC Qingdao Municipal Committee every year. In this way, the supervision role of the Qingdao People's Congress, CPPCC Qingdao Committee, the media and the public can be fully utilized in a bid to make the public policy-making and implementation process more open and transparent.

At present, the whole city is making concerted effort and taking swift actions according to the action plans. The municipal leadership vow to roll up their sleeves and support this endeavor wherever and however they are needed. With clear objectives and firm resolve, Qingdao strives to open new dimensions of reform and opening up with the initiative to seek breakthroughs in the 15 areas, so as to build an open, modern, dynamic and fashionable international metropolis and turn the exciting blueprint drawn by General Secretary Xi Jinping for Qingdao into reality step by step.