Beijing, 4 Apr (ZXS) -- Question: Under the new development pattern, what is the driving force for Tibet's economic and social development?
The author, Kelsang Dolma, is a researcher and deputy director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research of the China Tibetology Research Center
In the new era, based on the strategic deployment of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the unprecedented changes in a century, the new development pattern of domestic circulation as the main body and domestic and international dual circulation promoting each other has become an inevitable choice for contemporary China. At the strategic juncture where the "two centenary goals" converge, Tibet's development stands at a new starting point and enters a new period of comprehensively building a new Tibet of socialist modernization.
To clearly understand the stage of economic and social development in Tibet, it is necessary to fully implement the new development concept and enhance the development momentum under the new development pattern, so as to create a pilot zone for high-quality economic development of the plateau.
Reform is the primary driving force for Tibet's high-quality development
Under the new development pattern, only by comprehensively deepening reform can we further liberate and develop the productive forces and gradually resolve the contradiction between the people's growing need for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development facing the social development of Tibet.
First of all, it is necessary to speed up the construction of a modern economic system on the Tibetan plateau and promote the flow of various production factors. To build a modern economic system, we must adhere to the direction of socialist market economic reform and constantly improve the socialist market economic system. Tibet's market development is relatively low, so it is necessary to actively give play to the role of the market in resource allocation, actively integrate into the national unified market, deepen the market-oriented reform of factors, and build a high-standard market system. In particular, it is necessary to improve the market and financial service systems, and raise the development level of modern service industries such as finance and economics and auditing. Improve basic market economy systems such as market access, fair competition, and social credit, support the development of intermediary service organizations that meet the needs of modern development, and optimize the business environment. For example, in response to the financing needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, we actively develop personalized, differentiated and customized financial products to improve financial services for small and medium-sized enterprises and "three rural areas". Based on the reality of Tibet's economic and social development, we should optimize the primary industry, expand the secondary industry, and upgrade the tertiary industry, vigorously develop the seven major industries, strive to transform resource advantages into development advantages, actively cultivate strategic emerging industries, and accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system.
The staff in the greenhouse of the ecological agriculture and animal husbandry industrial park in Gaize County, Ali Prefecture, Tibet, are carrying out seedling breeding work. Photo by He Penglei
Second, further promote the modernization of the governance system and governance capacity. To follow the path of Chinese-style modernization, Tibet needs to focus on breaking down deep-seated institutional obstacles and continuously demonstrate the advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. The CCP's strategy for governing Tibet is the best example of the state's overall planning and top-level design of work in ethnic areas. The state has formulated a series of special support policies for Tibet's development, and Tibet should make full use of the policy dividends and turn them into a driving force and vitality for achieving high-quality development. It is also necessary to further coordinate the relationship between the promising government and the effective market, deepen the reform of decentralization, management and service, and improve the government's service capacity and governance level. Promote the optimization and structural adjustment of the layout of the state-owned economy, encourage, support and guide the development of the non-public economy, attach importance to the improvement of the quality and efficiency of the non-public economy, and improve the effectiveness of governance.
Third, further promote the layout of regional development. Different parts of Tibet have different development advantages, and on the basis of actively aligning with the national regional development strategy, we should optimize the distribution of major infrastructure, major productive forces and public resources, and strive to build a new pattern of regional development with obvious main functions, complementary advantages and high-quality development. For example, accelerate the construction of economic belts with central cities such as Lhasa as the fulcrum, and promote facility connectivity, industrial coordination, and factor flow between various economic regions. Relying on resource endowments and industrial characteristics, as well as the employment transfer of labor in agricultural and pastoral areas driven by relocation, we will develop characteristic cities and towns, enhance modernization, informationization and science and technology in urbanization, and walk out of the urbanization road with Tibetan characteristics. We will continue to consolidate the achievements in poverty alleviation and further promote the strategy of rural revitalization. Deepen the reform of the "separation of powers" in rural contracted land, actively promote the equalization of basic urban and rural services, and continue to improve the appearance of rural areas. Through urban-rural integration and coordinated regional development, we will promote the effective improvement of quality and reasonable growth of the economy.
In Lhasa, Tibet, the Potala Palace is picturesque under the reflection of the rising sun. Photo by Gonggalai Song
High-quality development requires openness and vitality
Opening up to the outside world is a basic national policy and an important driving force for the sustained and healthy development of China's economy. While persisting in comprehensively deepening reform and continuing to release policy dividends, reform dividends and demographic dividends, we must adhere to a more active opening up policy and effectively inject new vitality into economic development.
On the one hand, Tibet should explore new models and mechanisms for opening up internally, accelerate the formation of a new pattern of opening up at multiple levels and in multiple fields, and establish a new system of a higher-level open economy. Opening up the investment sector, attracting more capital of all types from the mainland into Tibet's infrastructure and industrial development fields, and giving full play to the role of the market in allocating resources will help promote the orderly and free flow of factors inside and outside the autonomous region, the efficient allocation of resources, and the deep integration of the market, form an institutional system conducive to sustained and healthy development, and continuously enhance the momentum and vitality of development.
Strengthening internal regional connectivity is also an important step for Tibet to enter the country's unified economic system. Tibet is surrounded by different economic circles formed by provinces and regions with different degrees of development and resource endowments, such as the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin Cities Economic Circle, the Greater Shangri-La Economic Circle, and the Shaanxi-Gansu-Qingning Economic Circle. Tibet can also make use of its resource advantages to develop potential and sustainable industries such as clean energy, give play to its own development advantages, build an internal circulation development model of economic complementarity and win-win cooperation between Tibet and inland provinces in key areas such as energy, and enhance Tibet's weight and status in the national economic system.
On the other hand, comprehensively raising the level of opening up to the outside world is a long-term strategy for Tibet's opening up. Tibet can make use of its geographical characteristics and location advantages to build an important channel open to South Asia, strengthen the construction of key ports, strengthen the construction of economic cooperation zones with neighboring countries, strengthen the construction of border trade markets, and carry out pilot projects for the landing and processing of imported commodities traded by border people. We can also strengthen key cooperation projects and actively promote the construction of the "Himalayan Economic Cooperation Belt", the Plateau Silk Road, the Gandis International Tourism Cooperation Zone and the Trans-Himalayan Three-dimensional Interconnection Network to expand new prospects for cooperation and exchanges.
In Zhanang County, Shannan City, Tibet Autonomous Region, staff are conducting acceptance inspections of power facilities. Photo by Song Weixing
High-quality development is inseparable from innovation-driven
Promoting high-quality economic development is inseparable from the core guidance driven by innovation. The lack of internal strength in innovation has long been a shortcoming of Tibet's development, and an obstacle to the fact that Tibet's resource advantages are difficult to convert into economic advantages. In recent years, Tibet has attached great importance to the innovation-driven development strategy, put forward the "innovative construction of Tibet", and called for adhering to the new development concept, focusing on promoting comprehensive innovation with scientific and technological innovation as the core, and promoting the continuous improvement of economic and social development.
The most important thing is to develop education, attach importance to talent construction, and cultivate a good space and environment for scientific and technological innovation. Education plays an extremely important role in Tibet's development and is a basic project to change the knowledge structure of Tibet's population and improve its quality. Through innovative education mechanisms, Tibet can formulate a targeted talent work plan for the establishment of a pilot zone for high-quality economic development of the plateau, not only cultivate local talents, but also actively attract outstanding professionals from the hinterland who are urgently needed for Tibet's high-quality development, and create a hot spot for entrepreneurship in the field of scientific and technological innovation with plateau characteristics.
The second is to increase the innovation of key industries and enhance the contribution rate of scientific and technological empowerment to industrial upgrading. Industry is the foundation of high-quality development, and a number of plateau characteristic industries empowered by innovation platforms and science and technology have become the engines for Tibet's economy to achieve high-quality development. Tibet can combine its own characteristic culture and tourism resources to develop the cultural tourism industry, innovate the industrial integration model, promote the organic interaction of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries, and realize the full-time and high-quality development of the cultural tourism industry. For example, accelerating the development of clean energy industries dominated by hydro energy and solar energy requires innovative energy structure, layout and operation mechanism. Green industries including green mining, natural drinking water and ethnic handicrafts, modern service industries, plateau biological industries, Tibetan medicine industries, high-tech digital industries and border trade logistics industries are also the focus of Tibet's industrial innovation. Tibet can innovate its development model, form cross-regional enterprise groups through top-level planning, concentrate advantageous forces, increase scientific and technological empowerment, integrate and allocate resources, and enhance industrial development strength.
In Lhasa, Tibet, tourists dressed in traditional Tibetan costumes take photos on Barkhor Street. Photo by Gonggalai Song
Third, it is to build a knowledge innovation platform and further strengthen the in-depth scientific and technological and cultural exchanges and ties between the outstanding talent resources of the mainland's counterpart Tibet aid institutions and local talents in Tibet. For example, think tanks in key areas at the autonomous region level with the participation of top talents from Tibet and the hinterland can be established, and basic research on cutting-edge technology and application in Tibet can be strengthened from the perspective of science and technology and innovation, research on key core technologies applicable to plateaus can be strengthened, the construction of science and technology innovation centers with plateau characteristics with regional influence can be promoted, and a knowledge innovation system with local characteristics can be built. For example, Tibetan medicine has the most plateau characteristics, but it is difficult to integrate with emerging science and technology, Tibet can build a national Tibetan medicine research and development center, learn from and dock with domestic experience and technology platforms for medical R&D innovation, and comprehensively enhance China's scientific and technological strength as the hometown of Tibetan medicine and the best research and treatment place. (End)
About the author:
Kelsang Dolma, born in July 1971, is a native of Lhasa, Tibet. In 7, he graduated from the Central University for Nationalities with a master's degree in ethnic minority economics. He is currently the deputy director and researcher of the Institute of Social and Economic Research of the China Tibetology Research Center. Since 1998, he has published papers in academic journals such as "Tibetology in China" and submitted papers at academic conferences, presided over and participated in more than ten national key projects and more than ten times, published the book "Feasibility Analysis of Grassroots Community Medical Policy Goals", and participated in the compilation of many books. His main research areas are Tibetology, ethnic economics, and regional economics.