China should enjoy a wonderful year in 2020. As the first year of the new decade, 2020 has opened an era of historical significance. China is expected to become an all-around well-off society in 2020. 

A "well-off society" does not only mean a society that provides people with food and clothing, but one that is marked by economic, political, cultural and social prosperity, as well as a good environment. 

China's GDP is expected to near 100 trillion yuan ($14.36 trillion), and all impoverished populations in rural regions will be lifted out of poverty. 

Quanzhou city government recently released a report on its economic and social development plan for 2019 and a draft of the plan for 2020, mapping out the city’s path towards prosperity.

Targets for major economic indicators in 2020 

The city's regional GDP will increase by 7 to 7.5 percent

The total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery industries will increase by more than 2 percent 

Industrial added value will increase by about 7.5 percent 

Construction industry added value will increase by about 7 percent

Tertiary industry added value will increase by about 8 percent 

Investment in fixed assets will increase by about 7.5 percent 

Total retail sales of consumer goods will increase by 9 percent

More than 300 major enterprises will be added to local industries 

The core competitiveness of industrial enterprises in Quanzhou has been continuously improving in recent years. In 2019, traditional manufacturing industries such as textiles, shoes and clothing, building materials, household appliances, and food and beverages continue to maintain a high growth rate, providing strong support for the local industrial structure. 

In the new year, the city aims to promote the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry. On one hand, it will further expand traditional industries, while launching a series of technological transformation and upgrading projects. 

Advanced technologies such as big data, 5G, and artificial intelligence will be applied to upgrade traditional industries such as footwear, building materials, home furnishings, and food and beverages to the higher end of the industrial value chain. 

Local governments will strive to cultivate more than 300 recognized leading industrial enterprises, promote close cooperation among leading enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises, and establish a comprehensive support system for the development of modern industries. 

Tertiary industry 

The city will continue to support tertiary industries, such as tourism and leisure, e-commerce, wholesale commerce, and retail commerce. 

Various municipal-level modern service industry demonstration zones will be established to increase industrial agglomeration. By launching more projects in the demonstration zones, the city aims to increase investment in the service industry chain. 

Quanzhou will also vigorously develop the digital economy and promote the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy. 

Rural revitalization 

In 2020, the city will further implement the strategy of rural revitalization and accelerate the development of modern agriculture with local characteristics. 

The government plans to support 30 leading agricultural enterprises, and build 35 agricultural product standardization bases, 37 agricultural product preliminary processing centers and 40 characteristic industrial demonstration villages. 

The seven farmers entrepreneurial parks in Quanzhou and 15 modern agricultural industrial parks will receive support from the government, which will also help to encourage Nan'an and Dehua to construct provincial-level modern agricultural industrial parks. 

Urban construction 

This year, the goal for the city's urban-rural integrated development is to achieve an urbanization rate of 68.5 percent and an urban construction area of 233 square kilometers. 

The city will speed up the construction of the Maritime Silk Road new city based on in-depth study of the landscape of the banks and estuaries of the lower reaches of the Jinjiang River. 

The city government will also implement projects to protect historic buildings, and accelerate their revitalization and utilization. Historic building rental platforms such as the Jinyuxiang Youth Incubation Platform will be established on the ancient Zhongshan Road.

People's livelihoods 

To improve Quanzhou people's livelihoods, the government will tackle problems in basic education, healthcare and infrastructure. 

About 106,000 new jobs will be created for Quanzhou people, and the registered unemployment rate will be reduced to 2 percent. 

Steady progress has been made in the expansion of social security standards. Policies will be implemented to reduce the rate of payment for endowment insurance, employee injury insurance and unemployment insurance by enterprises, and ensure that the burden of social insurance premiums on enterprises is substantially reduced. 

High-quality education will be promoted across the city. About 14,000 public kindergarten degrees will be added in 2020. Quanzhou will found 175 provincial compulsory education schools with standardized management, which will add 18,000 primary and secondary school degrees.