China's Development: Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region's progress

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What was once a closed, poor, barren land with little to offer the world has blossomed into a productive, holistic area in northwest China. Founded in 1958, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has experienced one of China's most rapid turnarounds, especially in the 40-plus years of China's Reform and Opening Up. CGTN's Lu Sirui shows us some of the accomplishments this developing area has made.

In 70 years of the People's Republic of China, few areas of the country have taken the strides that Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has.

Its GDP sat at 370 billion yuan by the end of 2018, 285 times what it was in 1978, at the dawn of China's Reform and Opening Up.

SHI TAIFENG, SECRETARY NINGXIA HUI AUTONOMOUS REGIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE CPC "Ningxia is an underdeveloped region, and the imbalance of development is very prominent. But we believe that the more underdeveloped a region is, the more innovative-driven strategies should be implemented. We insist on this principle and focus on innovation, aiming to accelerate technology-driven development."

In the last four decades, the region has made continued efforts to unleash dynamism.

There are now 201 foreign-invested enterprises and 2 billion U.S. dollars of foreign capital in use in the region.

But the region has not forgotten its responsibilities to environmental protection. Ningxia has witnessed enormous ecological changes, with grassland coverage reaching 50%.

SHI TAIFENG, SECRETARY NINGXIA HUI AUTONOMOUS REGIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE CPC "We adhere to the principle that clear waters and green mountains are like gold and silver. A quarter of the land is drawn within an ecological red line to ensure that development and construction do not cross the border. Now Ningxia's energy consumption and water consumption are declining."

Lu Sirui, CGTN, BEIJING.