Zaozhuang City in east China's Shandong Province has launched a city-wide initiative designating 2026 as the "Year of Serving Enterprises".
The city held a high-profile mobilization conference on Feb. 25, framing its central tenet as "serving enterprises is serving the overall development."
As the main force of local economic development, Zaozhuang's enterprises are seen as crucial pillars for transforming this resource-dependent city, building new energy industrial bases, and strengthening its modern industrial system.
The initiative comes on the back of strong economic performance. Sixteen of Zaozhuang's major economic indicators ranked among the top tiers in Shandong Province, and the city's GDP growth has outpaced the provincial average for 16 consecutive quarters.
To deliver targeted support, Zaozhuang introduced a tiered enterprise assistance framework. Under the framework, the city government of Zaozhuang, relevant departments and district (county-level) authorities will pair respectively with leading enterprises, specialized and innovation-oriented firms, and high-growth companies.
Nine action programs covering enterprise cultivation, project development and innovation capacity-building will also be implemented alongside this framework.
The conference also refined the city's investment attraction mechanism. Meanwhile, a "chain leader" system was introduced to provide integrated coordination across Zaozhuang's four pillar industries including new energy, new chemical materials, high-end equipment and modern light industry, three emerging industries namely artificial intelligence, the low-altitude economy and biomanufacturing, and two foundational sectors including modern agriculture and modern service industry.
Zaozhuang is pursuing a green and low-carbon path as it transforms away from resource dependency, aiming to build a sustainable and high-quality development model.
(Edited by Tian Shenyoujia with Xinhua Silk Road, tianshenyoga0524@163.com)
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