"In 2018, Liaoning's regional GDP stood at 2.53 trillion yuan ($367 billion), 214 times that of 1952 in comparable prices," Chen Qiufa, Party Secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, said during a press conference reviewing the development of Liaoning Province on June 25.

In the first quarter of 2019, its regional GDP topped 548.62 billion yuan ($80 billion), a year-on-year increase of 6.1 percent and the first time it reached 6 percent in the past 17 quarters. "This indicates that economic growth has entered the stage of stable development," Chen said.

Liaoning, located in northeast China, is a major node under the Belt and Road Initiative, making it an important gateway for China's further opening up in the region.

Firstly, it stopped relying on traditional industries that depended heavily on energy resources, then it began the construction important technologies, advanced equipment, new materials, modern agricultural production and innovation, and research and development bases. It also emphasized the development of finance, logistics and information technology services combined with support for emerging industries such as biopharmacy and new energy.

The province has also committed to coordinating development within the region to achieve high-quality growth and revitalization for all.

It has further integrated into the development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Econonomic Belt and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in order to realize mutual complementarity and benefits.

The Liaoning Pilot Free Trade Zone has completed 91.8 percent of its pilot construction and reform tasks. With the vigorous expansion of trade with the international market, the total volume of foreign trade in goods in 2018 reached 754.59 billion yuan ($109.5), a year-on-year increase of 11.8 percent, 2.1 percentage points higher than the national average.

Under the Belt and Road Initiative, Liaoning set up the China-Central and Eastern Europe (CEEC) Economic and Trade Cooperation Pilot Zone, and will hold the 5th Local Leaders' Meeting of China-CEEC in 2020 in its efforts to build a platform for open cooperation.

Also, Liaoning has made substantial progress in poverty elimination. In 2018, 154,300 people, 519 villages and six counties were lifted out of poverty.

Along with the development of the economy and society, living standards have also risen in the past years. In 2008, per capita disposable urban and rural income reached 37,324 yuan ($5,418) and 14,656 yuan ($2,127), respectively. Governments in Liaoning at all administrative levels spent 74 percent of their budgets on people's livelihood.

Reforms have also taken place in other areas, for instance, in education. Liaoning substantially improved the overall quality of teachers and further integrated compulsory education in urban and rural areas. A comprehensive reform of public hospitals was rolled out, together with removing premiums on medicine costs in hospitals.

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

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