CPC takes pride in thriving Ningxia

Gert Grobler

A t the invitation of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， a large group of foreign business and media representatives and scholars， paid a visit recently to the remarkable Ningxia Hui autonomous region， one of the cradles of ancient Chinese civilization.

Ningxia represents concrete， living proof of the people-centered policy of President Xi Jinping and the CPC which states that eradication of poverty is an essential requirement of socialism with the goal of improving the people’s livelihood and achieving common prosperity. From the outset， we witnessed the profound impact on Ningxia that the policies of President Xi and the CPC had， as they focused on development-driven poverty reduction. We have seen concrete evidence of the innovative pooling of resources， of planned relocations and the combining of development-driven poverty alleviation with the enhancement of the local economy.

It was very evident to us that the impressive socio-economic development of Ningxia was the result of excellent joint efforts between the CPC leadership， business enterprises and the people. In fact， what was striking was the determination of the people of Ningxia at all levels， through effective， thorough planning and hard work， to lift themselves out of poverty and to continue to build a thriving Ningxia with increased confidence.

From the outset we were dazzled by Ningxia’s impressive natural beauty with its ecological diversity， including rolling plains， majestic mountains， rivers， deserts and wetlands. Blessed by the meandering Yellow River and located on the ancient Silk Road， Ningxia is indeed rich in both history and culture. In fact， it has all the attributes necessary to become an increasingly attractive tourism destination for domestic and international travelers.

Ningxia has also performed well in cultural preservation， from which the international community can draw strength and learn， and which will further contribute to its tourism potential.

We also noted that the different cultures of Ningxia have merged harmoniously， and various ethnic groups live in unity and that the Hui people， with significant autonomy， increasingly continue to benefit from economic progress in the region.

Ningxia has managed to build a thriving economy over a relatively short period of time， with a growing GDP currently amounting to 392 billion yuan. It has succeeded in establishing a broad industrial base with many vibrant enterprises in sectors such as electrical power generation — particularly renewable and green energy — as well as communication and e-commerce， health， electronics， metalworking， machinery， chemicals， building materials， synthetic fabrics， medical and agricultural products， foodstuffs and fabrics such as wool and cotton.

Impressive presentations were made by the Ningxia Development and Reform Commission， the Ningxia Commerce Department and the Administrative Committee of Yinchuan Economic and Technological Development Zone， on future economic measures， in the context of Ningxia’s 14th Five-Year Plan. It reflected wellplanned， concrete and encouraging steps to further grow the region’s economy.

All these augers extremely well for the future prosperity of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region， as a hub for Belt and Road cooperation， which will continue to open up many attractive opportunities for international cooperation.

It is evident that the region’s foreign trade has grown considerably since the region’s inception in 1958. Ningxia maintains growing economic and trade relations， with well over 140 countries and regions， which are destined to further expand. A vital factor which was stressed during the presentations was the ongoing commitment to the further opening-up of the economy.

Ningxia’s vibrant agricultural sector， with its intricate system of ancient and new irrigation canals and its extensive land reclamation projects — which have made improved agricultural yields and cultivation possible — is indeed admirable.

The exciting developments in the rapidly growing wine industry were a further eye opener. At the recently held First China （Ningxia） International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo in Yinchuan we learned that Ningxia has launched a national pilot zone to develop premium wine on the edge of the Gobi desert， aiming to turn the eastern foothills of the Helan mountains into China’s own Bordeaux.

By 2035， the aim is to produce 600 million bottles with a total output value of $3.2 billion. A number of wineries， characterized by modern technologies and a profound ecological awareness， were visited. There was general consensus on the excellence of the local wines and the huge potential of the Ningxia wine industry， including increasing exports to international markets.

With more than 30 percent of its land surface prone to desertification， Ningxia’s efforts since 1949 have made significant progress with soil control and the protection of the ecological environment. The commendable Baijitan Desertification Prevention and Control project — “turning the desert into an oasis” — in fact， continues to play a significant role in safeguarding the whole country’s ecological environment.

What was noticeable is that all Ningxia development initiatives strike a harmonious balance between human activities and environmental sustainability through the combination o f w e l l - p l a n n e d e c o s y s t e m regeneration， human capacity building and green entrepreneurship. This is in keeping with President Xi Jinping’s“Beautiful China” initiative， which strives to create a good working and living environment for the people and plays an increasing role in ensuring global ecological security.

Ningxia has an excellent story to tell， and its miracles are a result of the CPC’s extraordinary ability during its 100-year history of combining an impressive reform capacity with an approach that is firmly rooted in Chinese society and culture.

We were convinced， reinforced by the visit to Ningxia， that based on China’s phenomenal achievements its capacity for governance and the unity and resilience of its people， the CPC and China will continue to build on its many successes， meet any future social， economic and development challenges head-on， resolve them and give the Chinese people an even greater sense of fulfillment， happiness and security.

（The author is a former ambassador of South Africa and senior research fellow at the Institute of Africa Studies at Zhejiang Normal University， Jinhua.）