Recently, the State Council held its 17th thematic study session on the theme of "Deepening the People-Centered New Urbanization and Striving to Build a New Pattern of Integrated Urban-Rural Development." Premier Li Qiang, presiding over the session, emphasized the need to earnestly study and implement the decisions and plans of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Party Central Committee regarding the in-depth implementation of the new urbanization strategy, adhere to a people-centered approach to improve the quality and level of urbanization, fully unleash the enormous domestic demand potential inherent in integrated urban-rural development, and provide strong impetus for economic and social development.
New-type urbanization is a major development strategy promoted since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. In the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal, "deepening the people-centered new-type urbanization" is an important part of optimizing the regional economic layout and promoting coordinated regional development.
"We must firmly grasp the people-centered development orientation of new urbanization and do a good job in related work from the perspective of regional development," said Yan Yuejin, vice president of Shanghai E-House Real Estate Research Institute, in an interview with the Financial Times.
The opening of Metro Line 11 has created a vital link between Suzhou and Shanghai, connecting the vast hinterland of the city.
Among the towns and cities along the route, Yushan Town in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, stands out as a shining pearl thanks to its solid industrial foundation, mature commercial resources, and excellent living conditions. Amid the bustling activity of trains and crowds in Yushan Town, a distinctive development project oriented towards rail transit, centered on Yushan Square Station and radiating to Baimajing Road Station, Lianhu Park Station, and the surrounding comprehensive area, has begun to take shape this year.
"The syndicated loan led by the Suzhou branch of the Agricultural Bank of China in Jiangsu Province is an important guarantee for the smooth progress of the project," said a person in charge of the project contractor.
During an interview, a reporter from the Financial Times learned that, in order to support local urban renewal and construction, the Suzhou branch of the Agricultural Bank of China in Jiangsu Province took the initiative to lead the formation of a syndicated loan and underwrote 5.8 billion yuan to support the construction of a new urban living room in Yushan Town, Kunshan City, integrating high-end business, livable living, and cultural education. Based on this, a new urbanization development network that gathers population and industry will be built.
"We will plan cities, counties, and towns as an organic living system, strengthen the shaping of distinctive features, ensure precise guidance, take towns as the front line, leverage high-quality financial services to gather advantageous resources, stabilize the foundation for high-quality development, cultivate new differentiated development momentum, and empower the development of new urbanization," said a relevant person in charge of the Suzhou Branch of Agricultural Bank of China in Jiangsu Province.
"Putting people first" is a clear requirement put forward by the Party and the State for promoting new urbanization. In May of this year, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Continuing to Promote Urban Renewal Action" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), which clearly states that by 2030, significant progress will be made in the implementation of urban renewal action, the urban renewal system and mechanism will be continuously improved, the transformation of urban development and construction methods will begin to show results, the foundation for safe development will be more solid, service efficiency will be continuously improved, the living environment will be significantly improved, economic formats will be more diversified, cultural heritage will be effectively protected, urban features will be more prominent, and cities will become spaces for people to live a high-quality life.
"As the 'Opinions' are implemented in depth, the pace of urban renewal across the country will continue to accelerate, and infrastructure, industrial layout, ecological environment and quality of life will be significantly improved, injecting a continuous stream of new impetus into economic and social development," said Wang Wei, a researcher at the Greater Bay Area Financial Research Institute of the Shenzhen Branch of the Bank of China.
A people's city is built by the people and for the people. In Tongbai County, Henan Province, the southern urban area was once covered with a "spider web" of overhead power lines. Burying these lines underground to eliminate the aerial "spider web" is a key measure to beautify the living environment and improve power supply safety.
During the early planning stages of the local underground power pipeline project, the Henan branch of Postal Savings Bank of China immediately assembled a professional team to proactively connect with the project and tailor a financing plan for it. The bank efficiently disbursed a loan of 85 million yuan in just three days.
This funding quickly translated into momentum, effectively ensuring the smooth progress of the project. The undergrounding of power grids not only improved power supply security but also contributed to the construction of new urbanization by enhancing municipal functions, beautifying the urban environment, and improving the living experience.
County towns, situated at the "end of the city and beginning of the countryside," are an important component of my country's urban system and play a unique role in promoting new urbanization. New urbanization requires integrated urban-rural development, and counties serve as the starting point for this integration.
Industry experts believe that to promote new urbanization, urban and rural areas should be planned as an organic whole, and new achievements should be made in the construction of new urbanization in counties, urban renewal initiatives, and the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas.
Lishui City, located in southwestern Zhejiang Province, is the region with the highest concentration of mountainous counties in the province. Here, the Zhejiang Branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) continues to increase its support for the "Large-Scale Relocation and Rapid Agglomeration for Prosperous and Secure Housing" project, focusing on new urbanization construction and supporting the construction of future communities, old city renovations, resettlement housing, education and healthcare, waste treatment, and water, electricity, and gas projects in mountainous and island counties. Simultaneously, the bank actively assists in the construction of projects such as comprehensive land consolidation, contiguous improvement of permanent basic farmland, and digitalization of ecological information. By simultaneously focusing on "strengthening cities" and "revitalizing villages," the bank has established special products such as the "Beautiful Village Loan" to increase support for rural ecological environment improvement, rural public service projects, and rural living environment improvement, thus contributing to the construction of beautiful villages.
