On May 11, the special press conference on Sichuan's kickoff of the 15th Five-Year Plan was held in Chengdu. With the theme of "Advancing Sichuan's Governance and Development to New Heights in the New Era", the special press conference interpreted the Outline of Sichuan's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), and briefed the media on the province's economic and social development goals, key tasks and innovative measures. Shi Xiaolin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Governor of the People's Government of Sichuan Province, gave key remarks and answered questions from journalists.

Shi Xiaolin noted that over the past five years, Sichuan has undergone an extraordinary journey. General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Sichuan three times, entrusting the province with the mission of building "two highlands, two bases, and one barrier". Bearing the instructions in mind and forging ahead with gratitude, we have taken the development of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle as the overarching guide, thoroughly implemented the development strategy of "synchronous advancement in four modernizations, urban-rural integration, and the prosperity of five regions", and spared no effort in boosting the economy and advancing development. The province's total economic output has crossed two trillion-yuan thresholds, solid progress has been made in high-quality development, and the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) has been successfully concluded.

Shi Xiaolin pointed out that the period of the 15th Five-Year Plan constitutes a critical stage for reinforcing the foundation and making all-round efforts toward basically realizing socialist modernization, and it also represents an important window of opportunity for Sichuan to foster new growth drivers and form new competitive advantages. Taking into full account the overlapping strategic opportunities, the responsibilities of a major economic province, the needs of people's livelihood development, and the conditions for latecomer catch-up development, we have set the expected goal of "keeping the economic growth rate higher than the national average". At the same time, we further prioritize high-quality development, and have clarified a set of work measures and detailed specific indicators for "improving quality and efficiency", to ensure that Sichuan makes decisive progress in basically realizing socialist modernization in step with the rest of the country.

Shi Xiaolin stated that we will prioritize serving overall interests and faithfully fulfill the major strategic missions of the nation. We will focus on strengthening the role as a key engine driving large-scale development of the country's western regions in the new era, and foster a new pattern of greater protection, openness, and high-quality development. We will strive to enhance the development capacity of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, and build it into an important growth pole and new driving source for high-quality development nationwide. We will work to strengthen the supporting role as a national strategic hinterland and develop the province into a strategic rear base that ensures national development and security. Highlighting innovation-led and high-quality orientation, we will pool efforts to promote high-quality development. Focusing on increasing the innovation content, economic value and green elements of development, we will bolster innovation-driven momentum, optimize industrial structure, and pursue more sustainable transformation and upgrading. We will accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, foster a modernized industrial system through well-organized scientific and technological innovation, and vigorously advance the "15+N" key industries cluster ecosystem-building and chain-strengthening. We will promote better interplay between an efficient market and a well-functioning government, further deepen reform of state-owned capital and state-owned enterprises, vigorously develop the private economy, advance the initiative of "all-in-one-go" government services, and create a first-class business environment. We will continue to strengthen the function of the inland hinterland as an opening-up frontier, coordinate the development of major transportation corridors, key hubs and comprehensive opening-up platforms, promote the integrated development of transportation networks, logistics networks and digital networks, develop an open economy at a higher level, and build a strategic highland for China's westward opening-up and a new base for participating in international competition. We will prioritize people's livelihoods, and enhance people's well-being through innovation and improvement. We will scale up investment in human capital, attach greater importance to indicators that are tangible to people, such as employment, income, education, healthcare, elderly care and childcare, and take solid steps toward common prosperity. We will accurately map population distribution, dynamically optimize the allocation of public service resources based on demographic changes and people's demands, and build an all-age-friendly society. We will further advance "the prosperity of five regions" and integrated urban-rural development, and actively explore diverse pathways for new urbanization. We will better coordinate development and security, and underpin high-quality development with high-level security safeguards.

The blueprint has been drawn, and the future holds even greater promise. Shi Xiaolin said that we must faithfully fulfill the mission and task entrusted to Sichuan by General Secretary Xi Jinping to build "two highlands, two bases, and one barrier", foster and practice the correct view on performance evaluation, maintain the resolve for high-quality development, tackle and overcome the difficulties with determination, and forge ahead with ambition. We will work diligently to ensure a good start and steady progress in the 15th Five-Year Plan, write a new chapter of Chinese modernization in Sichuan, and deliver a satisfactory answer to the CPC Central Committee and the people of Sichuan Province.

At the press conference, Shi Xiaolin, together with Dong Weimin, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Executive Vice Governor of the People's Government of Sichuan Province, Cao Junjie, Director of Sichuan Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Lu Songming, Director of Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province, and Liu Huiying, Director of the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Sichuan Province, answered questions from journalists on increasing the innovation content, economic value and green elements of development, synergistically improving the development capacity of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, planning and advancing the construction of major projects, building an innovation hub in the western region of China, and promoting high-quality and full employment.