Full text: Report on China's economic, social development plan (13)

5) We will enhance the effective supply capacity of infrastructure and basic industries.

We will move faster to build railways, especially in the central and western regions, and promote the systematic development of intercity rail lines and urban rail transit. We will work to ensure that there are no national expressways left hanging unfinished, and rebuild bottlenecked sections of ordinary national and provincial trunk highways so that they are capable of accommodating more traffic. We will improve the development of high-grade inland waterways. We will advance the construction of civil aviation infrastructure such as the new airport in Beijing. We will accelerate the development of facilities for coal transportation and electricity transmission and pipelines for oil and gas transmission, actively develop hydropower, safely develop nuclear power, vigorously develop wind power, solar energy, and biomass energy, improve the development and utilization of natural gas, and increase the proportion of clean energy and renewable energy resources in total energy consumption.

6. Improving the pattern of economic development between different regions

We will give full play to the comparative strengths of different regions, foster and expand new growth poles and new economic support zones, and comprehensively promote coordinated and balanced development between different regions.

1) We will effectively carry out the three key strategies: the strategy of developing the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the strategy of promoting coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the strategy to build an economic development belt along the Yangtze River.

We will ensure the completion of tasks and projects prioritized in 2015 in implementing the strategy of developing the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. We will roll out guidelines for the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and provide support for the region to make substantial breakthroughs first in integrated transportation, environmental protection, and industrial upgrading and relocating. In addition, we will intensify institutional reform, strengthen innovation-driven development, carry out trials and demonstrations in districts and fields meeting certain conditions, and relocate functions non-essential to Beijing's role as the capital away from the city in a proactive yet prudent way. We will formulate the guidelines on building the economic development belt along the Yangtze River; accelerate the development of an integrated multidimensional transportation corridor and a green, ecological corridor all along the belt; start construction of major projects in an orderly fashion, including upgrading the major waterways and building docks and quays along the Yangtze River; establish demonstration zones for accepting relocated industries; and set up jointly-built industrial parks.

2) We will fully carry out the master strategy for regional development and the strategy for functional zoning.

We will refine and firm up the policies and measures concerning large-scale development of the western region which are appropriate under the new conditions, and further open up border areas and inland areas to the outside world. We will roll out the guidelines on all-around revitalization of northeast China and other old industrial bases, and fully implement major near-term policies and measures for revitalizing northeast China. We will formulate a new ten-year plan on boosting the rise of the central region, and build comprehensive transport networks and hubs in the region at a faster pace. We will support the eastern region in leading the way in institutional innovation aimed at economic transformation and upgrading. We will promote orderly development of new districts in urbanization. We will continue to carry out national trials and demonstrations for developing function zones, improve the policy framework for integrated, complete reforms, and establish sound mechanisms for monitoring and giving early warnings on the carrying capacity of resources and the environment. We will also energetically develop the marine economy.

3) We will continue to support the development of regions with unique features at a faster pace.

We will support the economic and social development of Xinjiang, Tibet, and the Tibetan ethnic areas in Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, and Qinghai provinces, and provide effective one-to-one assistance to designated areas. We will accelerate the upgrading of cities once dependent on resources that are now depleted, and push forward with the relocating and rebuilding of old industrial areas within cities and independent industrial and mining areas. We will formulate guidelines and planning for supporting the development of old revolutionary base areas. We will continue to promote development in contiguous poor areas as a whole in order to help alleviate poverty.

4) We will actively advance the new type of urbanization.

We will carry out the plan on urbanization with the focus on three tasks, each concerning 100 million people: granting urban residency to around 100 million people who have moved to cities from rural areas, rebuilding run-down areas and "villages" inside cities where around 100 million people live, and guiding the process of urbanization for around 100 million rural residents in the central and western regions. We will coordinate efforts in carrying out comprehensive pilot projects for advancing the new type of urbanization nationwide and in launching trials for comprehensive reform in small and medium-sized cities, and we will explore the establishment of mechanisms for sharing the costs associated with helping people from rural areas who have moved to cities become urban citizens, of well-regulated, diversified, and sustainable mechanisms for investment and financing to ensure funding for urban development, and of new models of administrative management that encourage innovations and reduce costs. We will improve the overall distribution of areas that are undergoing urbanization, formulate planning for cross-provincial city clusters, and promote the coordinated development of city clusters in key regions. We will move faster to construct multi-purpose networks for underground pipelines and facilities for flood prevention and rainwater control in cities. We will ensure the effective governance of urban maladies such as pollution and traffic congestion. We will carry out pilot projects in more cities and counties to replace multiple plans for local development with one master plan. By the end of 2015, 55.77% of China's population is expected to be comprised of permanent urban residents, and 37.9% is expected to be comprised of registered urban residents.

7. Making unremitting efforts in energy conservation, emissions reduction, low-carbon development, and ecological and environmental protection

In addressing problems concerning the environment, we will continue to treat root causes, conduct monitoring and regulation over the whole process of production, and enforce severe punishments for violations or damage to the environment. We will attach greater importance to green, circular, and low-carbon development so as to improve the ecosystem and environment of China and build a beautify country.

1) We will improve the systems for promoting ecological progress.

We will issue and implement guidelines on accelerating ecological advancement, and on the basis of research, formulate a plan for implementing the structural reform for promoting ecological progress and a system for setting targets for ecological improvement. We will establish demonstration zones for enforcing compensation for ecological damage and for promoting ecological progress. Compensation for ecological damage will be levied on a trial basis at key water sources, in major drainage basins, and across drainage basins. We will launch pilot projects to promote a cap-and-trade system for emissions. We will strengthen the protection of mudflats and improve the management of their development. We will carry out trials of allowing enterprises to commission a third party to treat their pollution, and provide special financing for encouraging energy efficiency and provide green loans for environmentally responsible businesses. We will explore the introduction of compulsory environmental pollution liability insurance. (Mo