The "15th Five Year Plan" proposal announced at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly proposes to accelerate the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development and build a beautiful China. In this transformation competition that concerns the future, there is a central province that is neither along the border nor by the sea. With its strong green background, forward-looking actions, and strategic determination, it is showing an increasingly undeniable presence.
It is Jiangxi.
At present, the 2025 World Green Development Investment and Trade Expo and China Green Food Expo (hereinafter referred to as "Green Development Expo") will soon open in Nanchang, Jiangxi. Guests from 68 countries and regions, over 2500 exhibitors, over 900 buyers, and over 300 investors will gather on the land of Ganpo to witness Jiangxi's transformation practice with "green" as the bridge and explore the future path of green development.
Behind this is Jiangxi's 16 year commitment to building the Green Development Association into a super platform for "ecological platform and economic and trade performance", and it is also a vivid footnote to this central province's continuous enhancement of green momentum and rise as a pioneer in green development on the red foundation.
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The Green Development Conference is the only provincial-level exhibition in Jiangxi approved by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and was first held in 2009. After years of successful hosting, the visibility and influence of the Green Development Conference have continued to expand, becoming not only an important platform for Jiangxi's internal and external opening up, but also an important window for observing China's green development.
So, why can it bloom in Jiangxi?
Firstly, Jiangxi has an ecological foundation that can be considered a 'luxury'. Many people may know that Jiangxi is a "red hot land", but in fact, "green" is also an important business card of Jiangxi.
The data can provide a visual explanation: the forest coverage rate has reached 63.35%, ranking second in the country; In 2024, the PM2.5 concentration in the province will be 27 micrograms per cubic meter, and the proportion of excellent days will be 95.5%, both of which will rank first in the central region; At the same time, the State Council has implemented the strictest water resources management system to assess outstanding performance for seven consecutive years, with 97.7% of the surface water national examination sections being excellent, both of which are better than the national average level
From a geographical perspective, Jiangxi is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the river on one side. There are over 3700 rivers in the province with a drainage area of more than 10 square kilometers. This relatively closed geographical unit has formed an independent ecosystem and created favorable conditions for the systematic promotion of ecological protection. Even more so, Jiangxi's green heritage is embedded in its cultural heritage. Such poetic portrayals as Su Dongpo's "Jiangxi's landscape is truly my country, with white sand, green bamboo, and stone bottomed rivers" and Wang Bo's "Falling clouds and solitary geese fly together, autumn water flows in the same color as the sky" all depict the ecological beauty of this land.
Secondly, precisely because of its outstanding green background advantage, Jiangxi has undertaken a unique national mission in promoting green development - it is the only province in China that simultaneously undertakes the "National Ecological Civilization Pilot Zone" and the "National Pilot of Ecological Product Value Implementation Mechanism". This "dual pilot" identity means that Jiangxi is not only a top student in ecological protection, but also entrusted with the mission of transforming "green mountains and clear waters" into "golden mountains and silver mountains". Obviously, this is a affirmation, but also an opportunity, which means having a unique advantage of being a pioneer in green development innovation.
Don't underestimate the importance of this advantage. In the past, in the era of pursuing high-speed GDP growth, "green" was often seen as synonymous with "lagging development". But in the stage of high-quality development, especially in the context of the "dual carbon" goal, green ecology has become the most promising scarce resource and the most sustainable competitive advantage. Jiangxi has keenly seized this opportunity to initiate a comprehensive green transformation, fully activating the green ecology, which is the "greatest wealth, greatest advantage, and greatest brand" of Jiangxi. This can fully transform the green background advantage into a development advantage.
And the Green Hair Association is the key bridge for this transformation. Public information shows that since the Green Development Conference was held in 2009, a total of 663 investment cooperation projects have been signed in the first five conferences, with a total signing amount of 678.76 billion yuan. The signing amount of the previous expo was also as high as 99.222 billion yuan. This indicates that through the high-level platform of the Green Development Conference, Jiangxi is effectively transforming green resources and policy advantages into attractiveness for capital, technology, and project aggregation, achieving precise introduction and efficient allocation of green elements.
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Of course, as shown by the convergence effect of green development factors brought by the Green Development Association, having superior ecological endowments is only the foundation for promoting green development. How to implant green genes into industrial development and truly build a modern industrial system based on "green" is the key to achieving "comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development".
In recent years, with the implementation of the "dual carbon" strategy, many places have accelerated the pace of promoting green development. But in Jiangxi, from the perspective of a province, it is not difficult to find that this green transformation has two prominent characteristics, one is systematic and comprehensive.
As the "World Photovoltaic City", Shangrao has been leading the global shipment of photovoltaic modules by JinkoSolar for several consecutive years, with 1 out of every 8 photovoltaic modules produced here worldwide; Yichun, known as the "Asian Lithium Capital," has gathered 345 lithium battery companies including CATL, relying on the world's largest lithium mica mine to form a complete industrial chain; Xinyu controls about 35% of the world's proven lithium mineral resources and is one of the largest lithium salt processing bases in the world. Its lithium hydroxide exports account for half of the international market; Fuzhou, relying on BYD's new energy vehicle base, has rapidly gathered upstream and downstream supporting enterprises, rising to become a new highland of the new energy vehicle industry
This green transformation pattern that follows comparative advantages and promotes coordinated efforts across the entire region is also rare nationwide. It reflects the high consensus among various regions in Jiangxi on green development, which has been successfully transformed into collaborative actions.
The comprehensive effect brought about by this is naturally very obvious. In terms of industrial structure, the "green content" of Jiangxi's industries continues to increase. In recent years, Jiangxi has vigorously implemented the Green Manufacturing Project, deepened the implementation of the "1269" Action Plan for the modernization of key manufacturing industry chains, and successfully built three national advanced manufacturing industry clusters; The scale of the electronic information industry reached 116 trillion yuan, and the operating income of the new energy industry reached 400 billion yuan. At the same time, a regional evaluation system for green development of manufacturing industry has been established, and the "Jiangxi Green Manufacturing Service Tour" has been launched. A total of 244 national level green factories have been cultivated, and the number of national level green parks ranks fifth in the country. In the first four years of the 14th Five Year Plan, the cumulative energy consumption of added value of industrial units above designated size decreased by 16.4%, and the national target task was completed one year ahead of schedule.
The fundamental driving force of green transformation cannot be separated from innovation. In recent years, Jiangxi has continued to increase its R&D investment. By 2024, the province's R&D funding intensity will reach 2.3%, an increase of 0.5 percentage points from the end of the 13th Five Year Plan period. At the same time, the Provincial Carbon Neutrality Research Center was established, and the Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory Alliance in the field of ecological environment was first formed nationwide. A total of 2 provincial laboratories and over 400 provincial research and development platforms have been built. In addition, a "1+M+N" technology transfer and transformation service system has been established, and a provincial-level green technology promotion catalog has been released and dynamically updated. Seven green technologies have been selected for the national promotion catalog, and zero breakthroughs have been achieved in national level green low-carbon advanced technology demonstration projects.
In the fields of transportation and construction, Jiangxi's green and low-carbon transformation is particularly evident. Data shows that the average annual growth rates of waterway freight volume and cargo turnover in Jiangxi during the 14th Five Year Plan period were 14.7% and 18.5% respectively, with a combined container volume of over 190000 TEUs for iron and water transportation. The construction of green transportation infrastructure is also accelerating. Currently, about 6000 public charging and swapping stations have been put into operation, and over 70000 public charging piles have been put into operation, achieving full coverage of shore power facilities for berths with a capacity of over 1000 tons; At the same time, we will vigorously promote new energy vehicles and ships, build and operate the first commercial hydrogen fuel cell powered ship in China, and establish a demonstration line for hydrogen fuel cell buses.
In the field of architecture, we will deepen the creation of star rated green buildings, and take the lead in formulating the "Technical Guidelines for the Special Physical Examination of Building Energy Efficiency in Jiangxi Province" nationwide, exploring the integration of promoting the special physical examination of building energy efficiency and the green transformation of existing buildings; Actively promote the certification of green building materials products, release a catalog of green building materials products, and accumulate over 100 green building materials products in the province. Since the 14th Five Year Plan, Jiangxi has added more than 200 million square meters of green buildings, and star rated green buildings have achieved full coverage in all districts and cities; Completed energy-saving renovation of over 26 million square meters of existing buildings, and achieved an energy-saving rate of over 65% for newly constructed buildings.
In the field of consumption, based on the demand for green development and consumption upgrading, the Department of Commerce of Jiangxi Province has adhered to the principle of exchanging old for new consumer goods in recent years, promoting the green and intelligent upgrading of bulk durable consumer goods such as automobiles, home appliances, and home decoration, creating a new consumption trend towards "green", unlocking new consumption potential, and creating green and recyclable products, injecting sustained momentum into high-quality economic development. Since the beginning of this year, the policy of exchanging old for new consumer goods has accelerated the transformation of old and new driving forces, driving a cumulative update of 5.553 million sets of household appliances, over 632000 electric bicycles, and 285000 scrapped and replaced cars. In the first 10 months of this year, the retail sales of high-efficiency household appliances in units above designated size in the province increased by 52.0% year-on-year, smart household appliances and audio-visual equipment increased by 23.8%, and new energy vehicles increased by 36%. Behind these data is the dual drive of green consumption and intelligent technology.
Even in recent years, green food from Jiangxi has become popular worldwide. The pure flavors of Jiangxi's green and organic agricultural products, such as the sweet aroma of Gannan navel oranges, the strong aroma of Taihe black chicken, the fragrant aroma of Guangchang white lotus, the mellow aroma of Lushan Yunwu tea, and the orange aroma of Nanfeng honey oranges, converge together to create a delicious taste that is both national and global. The sales of eggs and seedlings of Nanfeng turtles rank first in the national turtle market, accounting for about 60% of the national turtle sales market; In October of this year, while most of the Gannan navel oranges were still basking in the sunshine on their branches, Gannan early navel oranges quickly seized the domestic and international markets with their advantages of being "early" and "fresh", and were sent to the Middle East; In August of this year, Guangchang Tongxin White Lotus with a value of 2.81 million yuan was shipped to Vietnam
In addition, the popularity of Jiangxi's cultural and tourism industry in recent years can also be seen as an important footnote to the transformation towards green development. On the one hand, the development of cultural tourism directly benefits from the improvement of ecological quality; On the other hand, it will further transform into an important force in promoting social green transformation.
The comprehensive and systematic green transformation has received direct feedback on one indicator - in the first four years of the 14th Five Year Plan, the cumulative energy consumption per unit of GDP in Jiangxi Province decreased by 15.3%, which is 3.8 percentage points lower than the national average.
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Another prominent feature of the development of "Green Jiangxi" is the special emphasis on institutional innovation as a driving force.
As is well known, the key to transforming "green mountains and clear waters" into "golden mountains and silver mountains" lies in building an ecological product value accounting system. In this regard, Jiangxi Innovation has launched the VEP (Value of Ecological Products for Specific Regional Units) accounting guidelines, which have provided clear and tangible pricing for "good mountains and waters", making it a major breakthrough.
As one of the first batch of comprehensive pilot cities for forestry reform and development, Fuzhou City has launched multiple innovative measures in recent years, including the establishment of the first "Two Mountains" transformation center in China, the first batch of wetland resource operation centers, and the completion of the first wetland equity asset mortgage loan in China. It has also launched more than 30 ecological credit products such as ancient house loans and intelligent livestock and poultry breeding loans, opening up channels for resources to become assets and assets to become capital; In May of this year, Shangyou County in Ganzhou City signed contracts with financial institutions and ecological industry park enterprises based on VEP accounting results, successfully landing the province's first 200 million yuan VEP green finance loan, solving the difficulties of measuring, mortgaging, and realizing ecological products; Jiujiang City actively explores the financing model of pledging forestry operating income rights, guiding financial institutions to provide financing for forest farmers and forest enterprises engaged in non timber operations such as agroforestry, forest health care, and forest tourism, as well as obtaining compensation, equity, custody, and cooperative income from public welfare forests (natural commercial forests). In 2024, Jiujiang City issued a total of 560 million yuan in pledged loans for forestry operating income rights
It is reported that starting from June 2024, Jiangxi will gradually issue forestry operation income certificates, further guiding capital investment in new formats such as ecotourism and forest health. As of now, a total of 39.831 billion yuan has been disbursed in forest rights loans throughout the province. At the same time, the pilot of the ecological product value realization mechanism is being promoted across the entire region, and the "Implementation Plan for Establishing and Improving the Ecological Product Value realization Mechanism" is being introduced. A preliminary institutional framework for promoting the realization of ecological product value across the entire region is being formed, and a unified ecological product information sharing and calculation platform is being established throughout the province, with trial calculations conducted for three consecutive years.
Green transformation requires a large amount of capital investment, and a supporting green finance system is essential. In this regard, Jiangxi's important opportunity and advantage are also reflected in its "pioneering and trial" approach. During the 14th Five Year Plan period, Jiangxi became the second province in China and the first in central China to simultaneously carry out pilot reforms in green finance and inclusive finance, fully launching innovative practices in green finance reform. At present, the province has established a green finance project library, selecting more than 2700 green investment projects with a total investment demand of over 1.09 trillion yuan. This project library serves as a bridge connecting green projects with financial capital, helping financial institutions accurately identify green investment opportunities. As of the end of September this year, the balance of green loans in the province reached 1.16 trillion yuan, ranking 12th in the country, and the increment accounted for 56% of all loan increments, indicating that more than half of the new loans flowed into the green sector.
In addition, Jiangxi is also striving to promote the comprehensive transformation from dual control of energy consumption to dual control of carbon emissions. To take the lead in piloting the development of voluntary greenhouse gas emission reduction projects nationwide and guide Jiangxi Provincial Transportation Investment Group to become the first pilot unit; Participated in drafting four national standards for carbon footprint accounting, including electronic appliances and bio based plastics, and promoted the pilot work of product carbon footprint identification certification; At the same time, actively participating in the reform of the green and low-carbon development system and mechanism, coordinating the construction of the product carbon footprint management system, and conducting research on the lifecycle environmental impact database of key factories in the lithium battery industry chain, more than 100 enterprises have been included and more than 3000 process data have been collected.
With the advancement of the pilot program, the driving effect of relevant demonstrations continues to emerge. At present, Nanchang and Pingxiang have been selected as national carbon peak pilot projects, and replicable zero carbon development models have been formed in areas such as Yingtan High tech Zone and Jiangzhong Medicinal Valley. In addition, since the 14th Five Year Plan, Jiangxi Province has invested over 70 billion yuan to renovate sewage collection and treatment facilities, and the centralized collection rate of urban domestic sewage has reached the standard as scheduled, reflecting the synchronization of transformation and pollution control.
It can be said that these exploratory practices not only contribute to the green development of Jiangxi, but also provide valuable local experience for other parts of the country. This is a direct reflection of Jiangxi's gradual formation of leading and exemplary value in the "new track" of green development.
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For a long time, as an inland province, Jiangxi's leading and radiating power in regional development has been relatively limited, and it does not have the geographical advantages of coastal areas. However, to a certain extent, with the continuous promotion of green development and the empowerment of the Green Development Association as a super platform, Jiangxi is building new comparative advantages and opening up a "new door" to the outside world.
The international influence of the Green Development Association is the best proof. This exhibition attracted 3 foreign or former political figures, over 20 officials from other provinces and ministries, and ambassadors to China. Ireland, Malaysia, and 16 countries including Germany and South Korea formed economic and trade delegations as guest countries. The increase in international attention not only brings about the gathering of technology, funds, and projects, but more importantly, helps Jiangxi establish a brand, win a voice, and strengthen its development confidence in global green development.
At the regional level, the Green Development Association has also helped Jiangxi become an important link in promoting regional green coordinated development. This exhibition has attracted the participation of guest provinces such as Fujian and Guizhou, as well as 20 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. Among them, 11 provinces were led by provincial and ministerial level leaders to attend. It can be said that through this platform, Jiangxi has not only established closer green development cooperation with surrounding areas, but is also becoming a bridge in regional green coordinated development.
Furthermore, the strategic value of the Green Development Association platform is not only reflected in the number of cooperative projects it has brought to Jiangxi, but more importantly, it has built a continuously evolving open ecosystem for Jiangxi. The theme of this year's Green Development Conference is "Empowering Green Development with Digital Intelligence, Opening up Jiangxi and Connecting the World", which can be said to be appropriate. At the same time, this also indicates that Jiangxi's green development will enter a new stage of digital and intelligent empowerment.
Economist Zhou Qiren has an important judgment: the size and population of any administrative block on the map are only secondary. Whether it is connected to the world in terms of technology, investment, trade, culture, etc., and whether the quality and density of its coming and going are high enough are more important. From this perspective, the Green Development Association for Jiangxi is actually equivalent to finding a new value coordinate for this central province in the global green development map, and building a bridge with a "hyperlink" function to connect it with the "world". It should be noted that green and low-carbon development has become a common global value pursuit. At this point, the potential for improving the quality and density of Jiangxi's interactions with the world cannot be underestimated.
For example, this year's Green Development Conference focuses on investment, trade, foreign economy, consumption and other fields, carefully organizing 17 "small but refined" and "face-to-face" special investment promotion and economic and trade exchange activities. Its connotation and extension are very rich. The exhibition at this conference will not only highlight the achievements of new industries such as new energy, artificial intelligence, embodied intelligence, and low altitude economy, but also hold a tasting event of Gan cuisine (Jiangxi stir fry), helping to turn Gan cuisine into an important business card showcasing the unique vitality of Jiangxi.
At the same time, this year's Green Development Conference also incorporated foreign trade elements for the first time, setting up a "Jiangxi Trade Excellent Products Huitong Global" special hall, carefully screening 60 key foreign trade enterprises in the fields of household appliances, electronic consumer goods, new energy and new materials, daily consumer goods, festival supplies, bags and suitcases, as well as cultural tourism, transportation services, design consulting, technical services, service outsourcing, etc., comprehensively showcasing the development achievements and highlights of Jiangxi's goods and services trade, allowing the world to see the vigorous vitality of Jiangxi's foreign trade, while also focusing on the international market supply and demand docking, and promoting substantive trade cooperation. The event has specially set precise docking times and provides multiple independent negotiation areas. This "exhibition display+precise docking" model greatly improves the efficiency and accuracy of business negotiations, and also opens up new imaginative space for the development of "green trade" in Jiangxi.
In today's increasingly fierce regional competition, with some places even suffering from competition anxiety, Jiangxi's use of green transformation to achieve regional development has important enlightening value for many places.
For example, the development of a place still requires being good at identifying comparative advantages. As an inland province, Jiangxi's advantages in the traditional development track are not prominent, but through continuous cultivation of green development, it has successfully embarked on a distinctive and dynamic "new path". This once again demonstrates that every place needs to rely on its own resource endowment and find the most suitable development path for itself, rather than blindly following the trend.
For example, we should view the "advantages" and "disadvantages" of regional development endowments from a dialectical perspective. To some extent, the green development of Jiangxi reflects a 'latecomer advantage'. As a relatively underdeveloped region, abundant green resources may have been seen as a "burden" affecting the industrialization process in the past, but now it seems that this is precisely the booster for accelerating green transformation and even achieving development catch-up under the background of "dual carbon".
The green transformation practice in Jiangxi and the continuous improvement of the Green Development Association platform over the past 16 years indicate that as long as we find the right direction and maintain determination, every place can find its own position in high-quality development. Under the guidance of the "dual carbon" goal, we believe that Jiangxi's green development story will continue to write more exciting new chapters. (Image sources: Department of Commerce of Jiangxi Province, Jiangxi Environment, Contemporary Jiangxi, etc.)
