City not complacent after having built strong industry, achieved China's highest per capita GDP

Wuxi city is a pioneer among Chinese cities transitioning to more quality-oriented economic growth and enhanced citizens' happiness. The city's top leader, Huang Lixin, recently briefed China Daily about what her city has achieved and plans to accomplish in the next few years. Excerpts from the interview are below:

Now:

We're proud our city has been a hometown of Chinese capitalism since the turn of the 20th century and a starting point of the nation's rural industrialization in the 1970s and '80s.

In 2013, our per capita GDP exceeded $20,000, and urban residents' per capita disposable income was 38,999 yuan ($6,200). All retired industrial-sector employees have seen their benefits continue to rise over the previous 10 years.

With 85 publicly listed companies, the city registered a total industrial revenue of nearly 1.5 trillion yuan.

Now, the city government is trying to speed up the economy's transition to quality growth and the citizens' pursuit of happy lives. Our social security network already covers nearly 100 percent of the population.

Idea:

Our city's development strategy is positioned within the State Council's 2009-20 program for the Yangtze River Delta, according to which the region will become China's Asia-Pacific gateway - a city-cluster featuring modern services and manufacturing competitiveness in the world.

In line with the program, Wuxi is determined to become a base of new technologies, advanced manufacturing and tourism with increasing entrepreneurial activity, cultural and creative businesses, and logistics capabilities.

With our rich resources - especially the 1,400 year-old Grand Canal - we'll build Wuxi into a tourism city with cultural charm and ecological beauty.

Transition:

At no other time has innovation been so valued in our city. This is what transition essentially means to us. More high-tech talent has been attracted to Wuxi and is playing roles in its various research and development institutions.

In 2013, research and development expenses accounted for 2.8 percent of our city's GDP.

The city's ongoing program to attract high-tech talent has resulted in more than 1,800 new enterprises, mostly in strategic new industries.

The transition is also intended to enable all citizens to share - and to share more equitably - the fruits of economic reform and development. Wuxi has won national recognition for its achievements in the development of education, healthcare provision and cultural heritage protection.

Wuxi will provide more opportunities to more service companies, small and medium-sized companies, and privately held companies. And in turn it will see them generate more job opportunities.

Future:

Wuxi was rated a top city in the nation for ecological balance and quality of life.

The city government is committed to further increasing local people's incomes, living standards and quality of life. Along with it, we also pledge to deliver a more comprehensive service system for citizens, covering healthcare and medical care, lifelong education opportunities, aid to employment and business ventures, retirement services and housing security.

The city's management will in due course be placed on a smart city platform. Wuxi has already had a head start in this aspect and was rated as one of the leading cities in China in 2013. Smart city programs will be introduced to more areas of community life.

Come to Wuxi - come to our city to feel with us the realization of the Chinese dream.