Xinhua Insight: Central Chinese provinces poised to prosper with new plan

NEW SOURCE FOR GROWTH

Anhui is proud to have famed quantum physicist Pan Jianwei teaching at the University of Science and Technology of China, which is based in the provincial capital Hefei.

Pan is behind the world's first quantum satellite, which was launched in August this year.

Anhui has been boosting technological prowess of its research institutes and companies.

"Our province is known for agriculture and migrant workers. But these economic pillars have weakened, and we need to find new sources of growth," said Li Jinbin, Communist Party chief of Anhui.

Anhui has amassed funds and devised policies to support such scientific and technological projects, he said. Last year, more than 1.5 billion yuan (about 220 million U.S. dollars) of government subsidies were given to research institutes and companies in Anhui to support basic research, patents and new production chains.

From 2011 to 2015, the number of hi-tech firms in Anhui nearly tripled to reach 3,175.

Another central province Shanxi is also keen to see the new national strategy to boost its economy, which underwent immense difficulties in recent years due to low energy prices.

The coal industry remains a pillar for Shanxi as it is struggling to find a new growth model.

There have been policy favors for both the east and west, but provinces like Shanxi are stuck in the middle and benefit from neither, said Geng Yeqiang, an economic professor at Shanxi University.

The new plan is exactly what Shanxi needs to maintain growth and control default risks, he said.

Shanxi has prepared itself to host companies that are engaged in processing trade in the coastal areas, he added.