People enjoy the spring view at a park in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, April 5, 2022. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
HAIKOU, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, will accelerate construction of a modernized city with global influence and play a major role in building Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), said Ding Hui, mayor of the city, at a news conference held on Sunday.
According to Ding, Haikou has made ground-breaking progress in high-quality economic development during the past five years. It recorded GDP of over 200 billion yuan (about 29.76 billion U.S. dollars) for the first time in 2021, up 11.3 percent year on year, accounting for 31.8 percent of the province's total. The city's retail sales of consumer goods surged 26.5 percent year on year to over 100 billion yuan, accounting for 42.3 percent in the province's total.
Ding said Haikou will continue to refine policy environment, business environment and ecological environment, aiming to improve its competency.
The year of 2022 marks a key link of the preparation work for the independent customs operation. Among 54 independent customs operation projects, Haikou is responsible for 14 of them, a share of 25.9 percent of the FTP's total amount. It plans to invest 8.519 billion yuan on these projects, accounting for 44.3 percent of the province's total investment.
Currently, seven projects are proceeding in a orderly manner. All of them are expected to start construction by June and will be finished by the end of 2023.
According to Chen Jianjun, Secretary-General of the Haikou Municipal Government, the city will double down efforts on its four pillar industries, including tourism, modern service industry, high-tech industry and efficient agriculture in tropical area.
Ding said Haikou will continue to deepen reform and opening-up and enhance technological innovation with an aim to build itself into a modernized city with global influence.
(Edited by Li Shimeng with Xinhua Silk Road, lishimeng@xinhua.org)
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