Ten years ago, on July 17, 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of improving institutional mechanisms and innovation in promoting the revitalization of the old industrial base in northeast China.

A decade on, China's northeastern region, including Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces, has frequently appeared on the itinerary of Xi, reflecting his enduring concern for the region and the importance of the full revitalization of northeast China in the new era.

Comprehensive deepening of reform and opening up is crucial for the full revitalization of northeast China, Xi said on February 8, noting that related policies and regulations must be fully implemented in the process of deepening the reform of state-owned assets and enterprises and promoting the development of the private economy.

In recent years, the northeastern region has achieved remarkable results in resolving deep-seated contradictions and removing institutional and mechanism barriers by deepening the reform of state-owned assets and state-owned enterprises, and promoting the deep integration of central enterprises and local state-owned enterprises. 

For example, Bensteel Group, a time-honored enterprise in Benxi City, Liaoning, has been revitalized through restructuring with Ansteel Group, improving the modern corporate system and promoting industrial transformation and upgrade.

The region has also optimized the layout of state-owned capital and continuously optimized the business environment, injecting strong impetus into its comprehensive revitalization. The tourism industry, especially the "ice and snow economy," has become a key driver for high-quality development in the region. 

For example, during this year's eight-day Spring Festival holiday, Harbin saw a 20.4 percent increase in tourist visits, totaling a record high of 12.15 million. Tourism revenue also increased 16.6 percent, reaching a record 19.15 billion yuan (about $2.67 billion), according to the city's bureau of culture, radio, television and tourism.

Near the entrance of the Harbin Ice-Snow World, an iconic winter attraction, a row of giant red characters stands out: "Snow and ice are also valuable assets." This statement, first made by Xi about nine years ago, has reshaped the country's ice-and-snow sector and spurred the stellar growth of related industries.

In addition, the openness of northeast China further improved in 2024, according to official data from China's State Council Information Office (SCIO). The region's foreign trade volume reached a new high for the fourth consecutive year in 2024, totaling 1.25 trillion yuan ($170 billion), an increase of 1.6 percent. Exports increased by 8.1 percent, outpacing the national export growth by 1 percentage point, the SCIO said.