On September 28, reporters learned from a press conference held by the Anhui Provincial Government Information Office — the first in a series on securing the goals of the 14th Five-Year Plan and advancing the new journey — that over the past five years Anhui Province's GDP has consecutively crossed the 4-trillion-yuan and 5-trillion-yuan marks, elevating Anhui into the ranks of China's major economic provinces.

During the past five years, Anhui has maintained a forward-pressing momentum, with key indicators moving up in national rankings. Provincial GDP rose from 3.87 trillion yuan at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan to 5.06 trillion yuan in 2024, consecutively surpassing the 4-trillion and 5-trillion yuan thresholds; the incremental growth over the five years is estimated at 1.4 trillion yuan. Indicators such as regional innovation capacity, operating revenue of industrial enterprises above the designated size, total imports and exports, actual outward investment, and number of domestically listed companies have all remained in the national top 10 and ranked first in China's central region. Annual growth rates for total retail sales of consumer goods, import-export volume, number of market entities, and per capita disposable income of residents have all ranked first in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Anhui has been seizing new opportunities arising from the new development pattern, and has converted its transportation advantages into locational advantages. High-speed rail lines such as Anqing-Jiujiang and Nanchang-Jingdezhen-Huangshan have been opened to operation; high-speed rail operating mileage ranks among the top three nationally and first in the Yangtze River Delta. The province added 1,250 kilometers of expressway, bringing total expressway mileage past 6,000 kilometers. The Jianghuai Canal project is now open along its entire length, with cumulative vessel passages exceeding 100,000 trips. Hefei Xinqiao Airport's cargo and mail throughput surpassed 100,000 tonnes, reaching 120,000 tonnes, and Wuhu Xuanzhou Airport has fully launched international freight operations. A national China–Europe freight train assembly center has been approved for construction, and over 5,200 trains have been dispatched to date. Open channels now reach 25 countries and regions and 180 destination cities. Overall improvements in transportation conditions have laid a firmer foundation for the province's development in the period ahead.

Source: anhuinews.com