Southwest China's Guizhou province recently issued a plan to develop the Guiyang-Guian-Anshun metropolitan area.
The metropolitan area includes Guizhou's provincial capital of Guiyang, Anshun, another major city in Guizhou, and Guian, China's eighth national new area.
The development will boost regional economic development and improve Guizhou's competitiveness in West China.
By the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, the metropolitan area is expected to have 10.9 million permanent residents, 900 billion yuan ($141.49 billion) in GDP, 850 billion yuan in industrial output, and around 2,400 industrial companies each with annual revenue of 20 million yuan or more.
A basic transportation network of railways and expressways will also be built in the metropolitan area, all counties will be connected with natural gas pipelines, the forest coverage rate is expected to reach 61 percent, and standards for basic public services in urban and rural areas will be established.
During the same period, the average education years among the working-age population in the metropolitan area is expected to reach 11.5 years, the average number of beds at medical institutions for every 1,000 people is expected to reach eight, and the surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas should be under 5.2 percent.
Guiyang and Guian will become national logistics hubs and lead the opening up of West China. Annual railway passenger transportation volume is expected to exceed 55 million people, and that of airports is expected to exceed 30 million people.
From 2021-25, the metropolitan area will accelerate coordinated development among cities; boost the digital economy, agricultural modernization, tourism industrialization, and the modern service industry; establish integrated infrastructure; and protect the natural environment.
Guiyang, Guian and Anshun will also co-establish and share public services, establish a consultation and cooperation mechanism, enhance opening-up, and create a first-class business environment.
