A visitor looks at a screen displaying the development in metaverse innovation chain at the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Han Xu)
BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Beijing is eyeing new momentum in reform and opening-up at a higher level, science and technological innovation, and high-quality development in 2023, said Yin Yong, acting mayor of Beijing, in an interview with Xinhua.
"The city will grasp the opportunity presented by the construction of the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening up the Services Sector and the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone, introduce a 2.0 construction plan for the demonstration zone, promote the iterative upgrading of the country's business environment, and build a high-level institutional bridgehead for opening-up," Yin said.
Beijing will focus on serving China's opening-up and development better, and continue holding the China International Fair for Trade in Services, the Zhongguancun Forum and the Financial Street Forum. "Beijing will make greater efforts to attract and utilize foreign investment," he said.
Beijing will build the International Center for Science & Technology Innovation, he said. "The city will build state laboratories at a high standard, continue to support the development of world-class new research and development institutions, and focus on tackling key technologies."
Efforts will also be made to promote the management system reform at Zhongguancun Science Park, and accelerate the construction of the world's leading science and technology park, he said.
"Beijing will make greater efforts to promote the healthy development of the digital economy by building a global benchmark city for the digital economy. It will systematically promote the development of new infrastructure such as edge computing systems, and accelerate the development of blockchain and public artificial intelligence computing platforms," he said.
The city will also make efforts to boost high-quality development. "In 2023, Beijing aims to achieve the recovery of its accommodation, catering, transportation and tourism industries to the level seen in 2019, and increase its total consumption by 5.5 percent," he said.
"The city's fixed-asset investment continues to maintain a sound growth momentum after fixed-asset investment of 800 billion yuan (about 118 billion U.S. dollars) was secured last year, and Beijing will strive to achieve a fixed-asset investment increase of over 4 percent in 2023," he said.
The city will continue to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, optimize the functions essential to its role as the Chinese capital, and promote its high-quality development from a broader perspective, according to Yin.
He said that Beijing will also address the most important concerns of its citizens, increase investment in community health services, and improve medical facilities and rescue capabilities. It will focus on boosting employment and incomes, planning to create 260,000 new urban jobs and help 100,000 urban and rural people who have difficulty finding jobs in 2023.
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