City eyes 11% GDP growth

????A view of the Qingdao Development Fangping

????QINGDAO has set a target to achieve an 11 percent increase in its GDP this year.

????230 key projects

????The city will accelerate t

he construction of 230 key projects with total investments of 380 billion yuan. Seventy of the projects will be completed this year.

????The city will boost the development of modern agriculture and strive to increase farmers’ income.

????Breakthroughs will be pursued in the balanced development of the city’s urban and rural areas. New economic zones will be planned and constructed, including Dongjiakou Harbor Economic Zone, Dagu River Ecological Economic Zone and a new economic zone on the city’s west coast.

????Construction will also accelerate on libraries, cultural centers, museums, archives and digital cinemas, fueling the city’s fast cultural development.

????The city aims to reduce its energy consumption by 3.7 percent per 10,000-yuan GDP. A 300-day campaign will be launched to improve the urban environment. About 6.6 million sqm of green areas will be constructed or renovated.

????The city will also deepen the reform of its State-owned enterprises and increase support for small businesses. The city plans to introduce 100 advanced manufacturing projects and 100 large, modern service projects.

????In addition, more professionals are expected to relocate to Qingdao.

????16.3b for well-being

????The city plans to spend 16.3 billion yuan on projects that will improve residents’ well-being, including education, medical care, culture and civil affairs.

????The city will spend 17 percent of its fiscal expenditures on education, with a focus on preschool education. A total of 200 kindergartens in rural areas will receive standard upgrades. Meanwhile, more school buses will be made available.

????Reform will be deepened in public hospitals and there will be no charge for prevention of oral disease in children.

????Subsistence allowances and pensions are expected to be raised in urban and rural areas. Disabled children will be given free preschool education.

????Also, the city will start building 23,000 government-subsidized homes, while renovating 4,060 dilapidated buildings.

????(Li Hao, Yang Xiaoxing)

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