Xi urges Hubei to promote innovation, deepen reform, accelerate rural revitalization

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged central China's Hubei Province to promote innovation, deepen reform and advance rural revitalization.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, convened a symposium in Hubei on Wednesday morning, hearing the reports from the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and the provincial government, acknowledging the achievements in Hubei's work and providing clear guidance for next steps.

Highlighting Hubei's strengths in education and human resources, Xi urged the province to make proactive efforts in advancing scientific and industrial innovation, actively integrate into the national innovation network, strive to build a technology innovation hub with nationwide influence, and enhance its role as a source of scientific and technological innovation.

The province needs to prioritize restoring the Yangtze River's ecological environment, focus on building a safe and resilient modern water network, comprehensively advance watershed management, and firmly enforce the 10-year fishing ban on the Yangtze River, he said.

Reiterating that Hubei should boldly explore comprehensive reforms and high-level opening up, Xi said that key sector and critical area reforms should be prioritized to fully integrate into the unified national market in an effort to create a fairer and more dynamic market environment.

Hubei also needs to deepen reforms for integrated development of domestic and international trade, actively participate in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and systematically enhance its role as an open trade hub, he added.

Xi also called for efforts in integrated urban and rural development and comprehensive rural revitalization.

Efforts should be made in releasing the potential of specialty industries and diversified operations, improving agricultural quality and efficiency, consolidating poverty alleviation achievements, and accelerating revitalization in former revolutionary areas, he said.

Stressing that Hubei is rich in historical and cultural resources as well as revolutionary legacies related to the Communist Party of China, Xi said that the province should take on the mission of strengthening cultural resource protection and promoting cultural innovation and development, and cultivate the cultural tourism industry into a pillar sector.

Xi also urged the province to enhance Party building, boost the spirit and drive of Party members and officials in their work, promote the regularization of Party discipline education, and continuously strengthen and develop a clean and upright political environment.

Xi also emphasized that unremitting efforts must be made in various work, especially the economic work, so as to achieve the annual goals for economic and social development within the remaining less than two months of the year.

Xi urges Hubei to promote innovation, deepen reform, accelerate rural revitalization

Xi urges Hubei to promote innovation, deepen reform, accelerate rural revitalization

Xi urges Hubei to promote innovation, deepen reform, accelerate rural revitalization

Xi urges Hubei to promote innovation, deepen reform, accelerate rural revitalization

Xi urges Hubei to promote innovation, deepen reform, accelerate rural revitalization

Xi urges Hubei to promote innovation, deepen reform, accelerate rural revitalization

To meet the timeline of starting independent customs operations by the end of 2025, the government of south China's Hainan province issued a series of regulations to stipulate import and export management of Free Trade Port (FTP), with two major documents on environmental safety and medicine import put into effect recently.

To further explain the effects and scope of the two documents, the local government held press conferences on Monday and Tuesday.

The "Several Provisions on the Management of Entry Environmental Safety Access in the Hainan Free Trade Port" took effect on Wednesday, which clarified the scopes and responsibilities regarding potential environmental issues of vessels and import products.

"The document regulates the access management of special items such as hazardous waste, remanufactured products, carry-on items of entry personnel, and radioactive materials. Meanwhile, it clarifies that the storage sites for transit goods should meet environmental safety management requirements, to avoid environmental pollution," said Di Weijie, deputy director of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hainan Province.

In addition, the administrative rule on zero-tariff import of medicines and medical devices in Hainan Free Trade Port was put into effect on Tuesday, stipulating that before Hainan FTP starts independent customs operations, medical institutions, higher medical education institutions, and pharmaceutical research institutes registered in the Hainan's Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone with independent legal status and approved eligibility can import designated pharmaceuticals and medical devices under the zero-tariff policy.

"The scope [of medicines and medical devices imported under 'zero-tariff' policy] consists of two categories: imported pharmaceuticals and medical devices already approved for registration in China, and specially licensed pharmaceuticals and medical devices for the Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone," said Jia Ning, director of Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Administration, during the press conference.

With policy supports and related efforts like the Ever Lasting International Innovation Medicine Exhibition held in the Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone, medicine and health care is expected to be a new pillar industry for Hainan.

New regulations clarify environment, medicine import issues in Hainan Free Trade Port