China fighting ‘uphill’ battle to revitalise northeast rust-belt in latest bid to transform former industrial heartland
- Premier Li Keqiang, three vice-premiers and the head of the country’s state-owned enterprises watchdog attended a meeting this week focused on the northeast rust-belt
- Combining the provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, the region of 99 million has recently endured sharp declines in revenue and weak economic performance
China has conceded it faces an “uphill” battle to revitalise its northeast rust-belt, but Beijing underlined its desire to boost the economic transformation of the former powerhouse by sending Premier Li Keqiang, three vice-premiers and the head of the country’s state-owned enterprises watchdog to a meeting in Beijing this week.
But at a high-profile meeting on Monday chaired by Premier Li, the State Council approved the region’s 2021-25 revitalisation plan, together with the high-quality development plan for Liaoning’s coastal regions and a new regulation on special transfer payments, although no planning or implementation details were provided.
Beijing did vow to boost local enthusiasm to enhance development, continue to increase central government funding and to start “partnerships between regions” to aid revitalisation, according to a report of the meeting released by the official Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday.
Northeast China is of an important strategic position in the national development … Its revitalisation is still in the uphill stage