Published by ChinaMNC · Xiuwu

Jiaozuo Party Congress Signals Policy Direction for Foreign Founders Operating in Henan

A practical read of Jiaozuo's 13th Party Congress for foreign founders: what the city's five-year priorities in industry, innovation, opening-up and the environment mean for company registration and operations in Henan.

Jiaozuo's 13th Party Congress: What Foreign Founders Should Note

On the morning of September 2, the 13th Congress of the Communist Party of China Jiaozuo City opened at the city conference center. Li Yibo delivered a report on behalf of the 12th Jiaozuo City Committee, titled Accelerate Comprehensive Transformation, Build Up Development Advantages, Unswervingly Promote High-Quality Development and High-Efficiency Governance, and Strive to Excel in Writing a New Chapter of Chinese-Style Modernization in the Central Plains. For foreign founders considering a company in Henan, the report is a useful signal of where local policy attention and administrative resources are likely to go over the next five years.

The congress was described as important because it takes place at the start of the city's 15th Five-Year Plan period. The theme emphasized implementing the guiding principles of Xi Jinping's speeches during his inspection of Henan and his important expositions on Henan work, accelerating comprehensive transformation, and firmly advancing high-quality development and high-efficiency governance.

Leadership and Procedural Context

Presiding officers included Li Yibo, Xue Chonglin, Hui Kang, Yuan Jiachao, Dong Binglu, Wang Chaojie, Hou Bo, Zhang Jingchen, Cheng Baocheng, Shi Shaohui and Han Tianbing, along with other members of the congress presidium. Xue Chonglin presided over the session. Former leading officials of the municipal people's congress and CPPCC, former senior officials, former military district leaders who had served on the standing committee, current party secretaries of local undergraduate universities, non-party deputy department-level officials, and leaders of democratic parties and the federation of industry and commerce attended as guests. A provincial supervision and guidance group for municipal party committee elections was present to guide the work.

The Report's Four Parts

Li's report was divided into four sections: the progress of the past five years and the solid steps taken in building a modern Jiaozuo; understanding the overall situation and scientifically drawing a development blueprint for the next five years; maintaining strategic resolve and firmly following the path of transformation; and exercising full and rigorous party self-governance to provide fundamental guarantees for modern Jiaozuo.

Past Five Years

Li reviewed the work since the 12th congress. He described the past five years as extraordinary, marked by overcoming difficulties and pioneering progress, as well as accelerated transformation and accumulated momentum. The committee, he said, led party members, officials and residents in implementing the guiding principles of the 20th Party Congress and its plenary sessions, the important speeches from Xi's Henan inspection and expositions on Henan work, and the decisions of the central committee and provincial committee. Work focused on promoting development, strengthening governance, benefiting livelihoods, preventing risks and improving party building, and the goals set by the 12th congress were completed.

He listed achievements including faster transformation with economic development trending new, better and upward; deeper integration of culture and tourism; ecological priority with blue skies and clear water becoming the norm; listening to residents and solving difficulties so that a happy life is more tangible; coordinating development and security to keep society harmonious and stable; and strengthening party building to consolidate a good environment for undertaking work. He attributed these results to the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core, the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the correct leadership of the provincial committee, and the joint efforts of the whole city and support from all sectors.

He said the experience of doing Jiaozuo's work well requires understanding and grasping principles including upholding overall party leadership, putting the people first, high-quality development, comprehensively deepening reform, and coordinating development and security. It also requires summarizing practice in building a modern Jiaozuo and enriching effective approaches such as proceeding from reality, systematic planning and deployment, focusing on key points to drive the whole, building mechanisms to promote implementation, and emphasizing practical work and results.

Next Five Years

At the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan, Li said, the city must view the overall situation, look at its surroundings and examine itself, grasp changes in the situation, seize opportunities, turn crises into opportunities, and handle Jiaozuo's affairs creatively. It should strive to be a model and advanced, and continue to place high-quality development and high-efficiency governance at the forefront of the province.

The overall requirements for the next five years include following Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, implementing the spirit of the 20th Party Congress and its plenary sessions, fully carrying out the important speeches from Xi's Henan inspection and expositions on Henan work, adhering to the principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, fully and accurately implementing the new development philosophy, anchoring the major requirement of "two highs and four efforts," closely following the "1+2+4+N" target task system, adhering to the "four focuses," and continuing to advance key work. That key work includes the "Thirty Projects," the "345" innovation action, cultivation of the "3+13+N" key industrial chains and clusters, the sustained improvement of the "six sources and root treatment" of air pollution, and actions to improve the quality of the beautiful city and of a better life.

The aim is to build a pioneer area for the transformation and development of resource-based cities, and to accelerate construction of a demonstration city for innovation-driven development, open cooperation, cultural and tourism integration, ecological livability and common prosperity. The city will firmly follow a new path of high-quality development through transformation, entrepreneurship, innovation and creation, and strive to excel in writing a new chapter of Chinese-style modernization in the Central Plains.

The main goals for the next five years are: improving the quality and increasing the quantity of economic development, continuously strengthening innovation momentum, accelerating the pace of opening-up and cooperation, prospering cultural undertakings, steadily improving the ecological environment, significantly improving governance effectiveness, making people's lives happier, and comprehensively strengthening party building.

Ten Priorities Relevant to Business

Li stressed that the next five years are for accelerating comprehensive transformation and building development advantages, and that all positive factors should be mobilized. The report set out ten priorities. Several are directly relevant to foreign founders assessing sector opportunities and operational compliance in Jiaozuo and Henan more broadly.

• Industrial strength: Implement the strategy of strengthening the city through industry and build a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone. Manufacturing high-quality development is the main direction, using creation of a national new industrialization demonstration zone as a lever, and expanding the "3+13+N" key industrial chains and clusters. Actions will renew traditional industries, upgrade emerging industries, cultivate future industries, expand and improve services, and integrate the real economy with the digital economy.
• Innovation: Deepen the "345" innovation action, connect innovation supply with industrial demand, cultivate innovative enterprise matrices, build high-level science and innovation platforms, improve the integrated mechanism for education, science, technology and talent, and raise the efficiency and effectiveness of science and technology investment.
• Domestic demand and market integration: Expand effective demand and deepen integration into the national unified market. This includes removing obstacles, optimizing factor and service supply, boosting traditional consumption, upgrading bulk consumption, cultivating new consumption, continuing the "Thirty Projects," and expanding effective investment so consumption and investment reinforce each other.
• Reform and opening-up: Deepen reform in key areas such as state-owned capital and enterprises, fiscal, tax and finance, and development zones; launch micro-reforms in livelihood areas; expand high-level opening-up; implement actions to promote high-quality development of the private economy; and create a business-friendly environment that is more competitive as an inland opening-up highland.
• Urban construction: Build a beautiful city and advance new urbanization, integrating into the Central Plains urban agglomeration and Zhengzhou metropolitan area, improving the centrality of the central urban area, and developing county-level leading industries.
• Rural revitalization: Modernize agriculture and rural areas, strengthen food security capacity, develop rural characteristic industries, raise farmers' incomes, and build harmonious and beautiful villages.
• Culture and tourism: Accelerate integration of culture and tourism, protect and pass on cultural heritage, improve public cultural services, cultivate modern cultural tourism industry clusters, and deepen "culture and tourism plus all industries" integration.
• Environment: Practice the "two mountains" concept, coordinate carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion and growth, carry out the "six sources and root treatment" action, implement the "clean water into the Yellow River" project, prevent soil pollution at source, strengthen ecological restoration, and promote green and low-carbon transition.
• Livelihoods: Safeguard and improve people's livelihoods, promote high-quality full employment, improve education at all stages, build a high-level healthy Jiaozuo, improve the multi-tiered social security system, and solve urgent difficulties.
• Social governance: Strengthen social governance and create a safe and stable development environment, implement the overall national security concept, modernize municipal governance, hold the bottom line of safe development, and advance the rule of law and a peaceful Jiaozuo.

Party Building and Implementation

Li emphasized that the key to the new journey and new goals lies in the party and in strengthening overall party leadership. He called for implementing the general requirements of party building in the new era, taking political building as the guide, and using high-quality party building to lead high-quality development and high-efficiency governance. Specific points included putting political building first, upholding the "two upholdings," deepening theoretical arming, consolidating grassroots foundations, emphasizing a practical orientation in selecting and managing officials, and strengthening discipline and anti-corruption work.

He called on participants to unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core, and under the strong leadership of the provincial committee, to forge ahead and follow the new path of high-quality development through transformation, entrepreneurship, innovation and creation for resource-based cities.

Attending as non-delegates were members and alternate members of the 12th municipal committee, members of the discipline inspection commission, and responsible officials from municipal departments, mass organizations, city-administered enterprises and units stationed in Jiaozuo.

Practical Takeaways for Foreign Founders

For foreign founders, the report is a policy signal rather than a set of rules. It indicates that Jiaozuo intends to prioritize advanced manufacturing, industrial-chain upgrading, innovation platforms, opening-up and a business-friendly environment. Founders in manufacturing, industrial services, cultural tourism or green technology may find alignment with these priorities when discussing local registration, site selection and ongoing compliance with municipal authorities.

The report also stresses reform in development zones and improving services for the private economy, which are relevant to how foreign-invested enterprises interact with local authorities. However, the document does not set out specific registration procedures, tax treatment or investment incentives. Foreign founders should verify current requirements with the local market regulation, commerce and tax authorities, or with professional advisers, before committing to a structure.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.

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