GDP of Shaanxi grows at annual rate of 6.4 pct in 10 years: governor

Northwest China's Shaanxi Province has seen rapid economic growth over the past 10 years with impressive achievements in innovation-driven development, the provincial governor told news media on Thursday.

According to Governor Zhao Gang of Shaanxi Province at a press conference in Beijing, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Shaanxi has grown at an average annual rate of 6.4 percent in the past 10 years, and it reached 3.38 trillion yuan (some 497.06 billion U.S. dollars) last year.

Over the past decade, the provincial authorities have intensified efforts to harness the province's strength in science, research, culture and education, with innovation emerging as an increasingly dominant force and significantly bolstering the province's economic development.

"Shaanxi has given rise to three national-level industrial clusters in the aviation industry, integrated circuits, and advanced structural materials. The province's conversion efficiency of photovoltaic cells has renewed world records multiple times. We've benchmarked technologies in the fields of superconductivity, Ultra-High Voltage (UHV) power transmission, and new displays meeting advanced global standards. We've led the country in the modern coal chemical industry, high-end drones, metal additive manufacturing, and dry farming and water-saving agriculture. Additionally, the province's scale of the titanium processing industry and its output of transmissions for heavy-duty trucks have both ranked the first in the world," he said.

The provincial capital city of Xi'an has become the only Chinese city with air routes to all the five Central Asian countries, according to Zhao.

What's more, Shaanxi Province has made substantial strides in improving its ecological environment over the past 10 years, evidenced by the vast acreage of the Shaanxi section of the Qinling Mountains and the good water quality in the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, the world's largest water transfer project, according to the provincial governor.

Shaanxi is the Chinese mainland's 15th largest economy, ranking within the middle tier among China's administrative divisions. The fossil fuel and high technology sectors compose the two largest industries in Shaanxi Province. The high technology sector includes aircraft and aerospace industries and Shaanxi produces more than 50 percent of the research and development and manufacturing equipment for the country's domestic commercial aviation industry.

GDP of Shaanxi grows at annual rate of 6.4 pct in 10 years: governor

More than 125,000 Syrian refugees who have recently returned to Syria are facing severe challenges, including inadequate shelter, healthcare, and economic opportunities, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Despite hopes that political changes in Syria would pave the way for their return, many refugees are confronting critical shortages in basic services. These difficulties persist amid the country's ongoing struggles, which have left much of Syria devastated by years of conflict.

Syria remains the source of world's largest refugee crisis, with more than 14 million Syrians displaced since 2011. While there have been hopes for stability following recent political developments, the country's devastation from years of conflict continues to pose significant challenges for those returning.

Nearly 15 million Syrians now require healthcare, while 13 million face acute food insecurity, and many are struggling with shelter shortages amid harsh winter conditions. Ongoing instability in areas under Caretaker Authorities, marked by continuing clashes, has compounded these issues.

At a briefing this week to the UN Security Council, Thomas Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, underscored the importance of facilitating aid, noting that sanctions should not obstruct humanitarian support.

"We need to ensure efficient flow of support into and through Syria. This means that any sanctions should not impede humanitarian support. The United States' announcement of a new General License covering transactions with Syrian governing institutions also provides a welcome signal. It also means support for and from Syria's neighbors," said Fletcher. The UN says it needs 73.2 million U.S. dollars over the next six months to support more than 1.1 million people. Officials say they urgently need shelter, water, and health services, warnings that it is time now to turn words into actions.

125,000 Syrian refugees face desperate conditions after returning home: UNHCR