Ge Zhijuan, acting mayor of Qidong, delivers a report on Qidong government’s work in 2018, at the third session of the 17th Qidong Municipal People’s Congress which opened at the auditorium of the city’s municipal Party school, on Jan 21. [Photo/Qidong Daily]

The third session of the 17th Qidong Municipal People’s Congress opened in the auditorium of the city’s municipal Party school, on Jan 21. 

Chaired by Gu Yunfeng, executive chairman of the congress, Ge Zhijuan, acting mayor of Qidong, delivered a report on the government’s activities during 2018. 

In her report, Ge outlined the key highlights of the government’s work in the city over the past year, reporting that authorities had managed to achieve the objectives set at the second session of the 17th Qidong Municipal People’s Congress. 

We have attracted better-quality projects, optimized industrial development, and expanded our links with Shanghai. We have also worked hard to raise living standards in rural areas and improve the social security system, Ge said. 

Moving on to economic growth, she announced the government’s growth targets for 2019, setting a regional GDP target of 7.5 percent and investment in social services at around 8 percent. Extra cash for research was also promised. 

Ge suggested sales of consumer goods would rise by around 9 percent, foreign trade would maintain steady growth, and that the per capita disposable income of both urban and rural residents would grow faster than the local economy. 

And there was good news for the environment, with a promise to focus on cutting emissions and maintain local ecosystems.

The audience listens to a report on the government’s achievements and future plans, Jan 21. [Photo/Qidong Daily]