Success in nurturing social harmony, boosting development

The gross domestic product (GDP) of Huzhou in East China's Zhejiang province amounted to 385 billion yuan ($55.32 billion) in 2022, according to a government report delivered by Mayor Hong Hupeng at the third session of the ninth Huzhou Municipal People's Congress, which commenced on Feb 26, 2023.

The city's fiscal revenue stood at 67.45 billion yuan, while its general public budget revenue hit 38.73 billion yuan, according to the report.

The per capita disposable income of its urban residents rose to 71,044 yuan, while the figure for their rural counterparts climbed to 44,112 yuan. The urban-rural income ratio, as a result, narrowed to 1.61.

In July 2022, Huzhou received approval from the State Council to build a national demonstration zone for the sustainable development of agenda innovation, becoming the only city from Zhejiang to be included in the program.

The city was also conferred the title of International Cooperation Demonstration Zone of Ecological Civilization during the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP15, which kicked off in Montreal, Canada, on Dec 7.

After reviewing the accomplishments the city had achieved in 2022, Hong unveiled a string of development goals for this year.

In 2023, Huzhou will strive to have its GDP, investment in fixed assets and retail sales of consumer goods grow 6 percent, 9 percent and 4.5 percent respectively, the report stated.

The growth rate of R&D investment in 2023 is also expected to reach 3.4 percent, while the surveyed urban unemployment rate will be kept within 5 percent.